YuGiOh! The Ree Zephyron Chronicles
by Twilight Angel of Moon
Summary: In an alternative parallel universe where endings can alter and destinies change, there enters new characters and new friendships forged, foes met and chaos of a different sort... Enter Ree, new girl in Domino as her side of the Yu-Gi-Oh! story unfolds...
1. Episode 01

**Episode 01:**

**Domino City- Meet Ree!**

BEEP! The sound of Ree Zephryon's desperate alarm clock woke her disorganised mind to the chaotic reality of Monday morning. "U-urgh," she groaned over her clock's digital beeping, sitting up in her bed. Trying not to yawn, she read: "6.30am" but then collapsed into the fit of yawning she had just promised not to do. Rubbing her groggy eyes, Ree sighed.

This morning was the start of a day of first's, and Ree was starting a new school year as a new student, at a new school. Most teenagers would embrace this change as a chance to make a fresh start, find new opportunities and excitement. But for Ree, however, this was the least most exciting thing she had ever experienced, least of all needed.

Her family had moved to the Domino area only recently, and so Ree was still adapting to the changes of her home and life, never mind school. Also, her previous school had given her a hard time, where all her ideas were criticised and the only way to escape was to become invisible-- which she did. Her old friends eventually gave up on her, and she had got used to being alone. Unfortunately, now that she had been transferred to a new school, everyone would notice her... which is definitely not what she wanted.

_You might as well stick a label spelling "NEW"on my forehead with permanent marker,_ thought Ree. The least thing that she wanted was to be noticed and be ridiculed again... _Which I probably will because I won't know anyone and get lost in the corridors or something. _

She sighed again, thinking. She sat motionless in bed for a few seconds, before starting to climb out to get dressed. _But who knows, _she thought, _maybe I'll make friends... _Ree opened the door of her dresser, revealing the mirror contained within. She grabbed her brush and started to furiously attack her hair. Ree didn't know any other person who had worse bed-hair than she did... and it was very thick, dark hair too, violet at the tips. When she had finally finished taming her wild locks and tied her purple hair ribbons, she slipped out of her night-dress and into her blouse. Putting on her skirt, Ree noticed how short it was. She wasn't too sure how she would get through the winter... but she pulled on her stockings and arranged her bow. After doing so, she felt like something was missing. But what was it? Smacking her head mentally, Ree remembered that her blazer was still hanging in the dresser. She pulled it out from the hanger and winced at the bubblegum pinkness of it.

"Wow," she said aloud, blinking as bright pink spots started to dance in front of her eyes, dazzling her. Closing her eyes for a moment to adjust, Ree hesitated, but put the blazer on. As soon as she did, she heard her mother's voice trailing from downstairs. "Ree," she called, "I hope you're already up, honey, because your breakfast is on the table."

"Coming, Mum," she replied, racing to the bathroom to brush her teeth and a quick morning face wash and exfoliation. Several minutes later, a very breathless Ree appeared at the bottom of the staircase for some breakfast.

"Oh sweetie, you look so lovely in your new uniform," said Mira Zephyron when her daughter was seated at the table. Ree pulled a face.

"Well, I just wish it wasn't so... _pink_," she exclaimed, and then stuffed a large piece of bacon in her mouth. Her mother sighed exasperatedly.

"Well then, _I _wish that you didn't just eat like a _pig_. You _know _it's more feminine to cut your food into pieces. Besides, it's tidier, too." Ree hung her head.

"Sorry," she apologised. "I was thinking of other stuff."

Ree looked at the kitchen clock hanging above the microwave. "7.00am." That meant that she had to leave soon. Gulping down her orange juice, Ree raced around the house collecting her schoolbag, wallet, and cellphone. She had an hour to walk to school, but she had wanted to be early so she could get used to the school and find out where all her classes were. Also, since she was new, she would have to obtain her locker key and timetable from the main office. As she got to her house door, Ree quickly stole a look at the window for a final check-over on her appearance. When she was satisfied, she put her hand on the door knob, waved a goodbye to her mother-- who was now reading the paper-- and ran out to the fresh air outside. As she ran down the path, she turned her head for a final goodbye.

However, this wasn't a very good idea because it prevents you from seeing where you are going... and because Ree was especially clumsy, the combination soon led to her tripping over a large rock. As she fell, Ree instinctively put her arms out to protect her body from the hard ground. Unfortunately, she somehow twisted to one side slightly and one hand lands with the most impact on the ground, her body following shortly after. As she laid dazed on the ground, Ree suddenly was conscious of a painful throbbing. "Ow," she muttered, and tried to think what on earth had just happened. Then she noticed that there was a pair of shoes before her. "Are you alright?" she heard a voice above her say.

Ree looked up to see the worried face of a teenage boy. He had warm, gentle brown eyes, and long, silvery-blonde hair. The boy offered her a hand. She tried to reach for it, but a sharp pain made her realise that the hand she was attempting to use was probably the one she had landed with, so Ree grabbed the boy's hand with her good one and he helped her to her feet. As Ree studied her injured hand, she saw scratch marks obtained by her landing on gravel, but also a deep gash near a large, raw spot where her hand must have landed on the rock. Gritting her teeth, she tried to ignore the throbbing of her hand.

"Here." Ree looked up to find that the boy had unbuttoned his school jacket and was tearing off a piece of his school shirt. Before she could say or do anything, he wrapped the fabric around her wounded hand, creating a temporary bandage. "Oh, um..." she began, not knowing what to say. "Thank you." The boy smiled. It was a nice smile.

"You're welcome," he replied laughing, "Besides, I couldn't leave you alone after a fall like that!" Ree smiled at him. The boy then said, "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new?"

"Actually, yeah... I am... I moved here about a week ago," Ree answered, "Life's a bit crazy ever since my dad left us, so... it's just me and my mum."

"Ah, I see," said the boy, with an understanding look. "My name is Bakura... I live next door. Nice to meet you." Ree smiled shyly. "Nice to meet you too, Bakura. I'm Ree." Bakura returned the smile, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Oh, I know," he suggested. "How about I walk you to school, Ree? You probably need someone to show you around, and besides, it's better than having to walk alone." Ree laughed and accepted his offer. "Well, I guess that's true..." It was only then that Ree realised that he was wearing the Domino High boys' uniform. _Oh, _she thought. _Silly me..._ Then they both started to walk towards the direction of school.

"So what do you think of Domino so far, Ree?" asked Bakura.

"Well, um... it's alright I guess..." she replied, "but I haven't seen all of it yet, so I can't decide."

Bakura smiled. "Don't worry, you'll like it here."

"Thanks... you're so nice."

"Well I'm just glad to help!" said Bakura, turning pink slightly.

Ree smiled. "And I'm glad that I met you."

"Me too."

Then all of a sudden the school was in front of them, a tall, grey building with a giant clock fixed into the top. What seemed like hundreds of students horded around outside, Ree was pretty sure more were inside... like some kind of weird ant farm. As they walked into the main corridor, Bakura suddenly turned to her and said, "Sorry, Ree, but I've forgotten to do something, and I need to go, is that alright?" Ree was a bit surprised to lose her new friend so soon, but if he needed to go, then she wouldn't stop him. "No, that's okay, I'll manage fine," she told him. He apologised a few times more before saying, "If you need anything, my locker is 564." Then Bakura raced off, turning left down another corridor, where Ree lost sight of him. She sighed. _Well, I guess I'll have to find my locker number by myself, then. _she thought, and started walking. Fifteen minutes passed, by which time Ree had travelled through countless corridors with lockers, one of which could have been hers, had she known what number. But eventually, she found the office, at the end of one corridor. The lockers there were in the 800's, and Ree memorised that so she could find it again. As she approached the office, the stern-faced secretary looked her up and down, as if judging appearance. "Name?" she inquired sharply.

"Oh, um... Ree Zephyron," stated Ree, breathless from all that power-walking. The secretary searched through a list in the school database on her computer, and when she found Ree's name, opened her file, printed out a class schedule and handed her two keys. "That is your class timetable," the secretary explained. "And those are your locker keys. Don't lose either or you'll have to pay a fine." She gave Ree a hard glare as if she had lost them all a thousand times before.

"Um, excuse me," stammered Ree nervously. "If I have only one locker, why do I need two keys?" The secretary continued to glare at her.

"Well that's so if you lose one of them, you don't come complaining to me."

"But wouldn't it be riskier losing two keys than one? I mean, both keys have the locker number printed on them so someone could steal one key and instantly know which locker it was for..."

"Don't be smart with me, lass," said the secretary sharply, "I don't make the rules. And all losses are to be the owner's problem. Now go away to your classes, the principal doesn't like his students to be late." _She just said that to get rid of me, _thought Ree, because she knew for a fact that she still had ten minutes before school begun. She pulled out her locker keys and saw that the number was 781. She then remembered that Bakura's was 564... 217 lockers away-- probably a few corridors apart. _Oh well, _Ree thought, _I'll have to manage without him for a bit, until we meet again. _She found her way through the corridors easier this time, because she had found out the pattern of the lockers in each corridor. Each corridor had a hundred lockers, two rows stacked above each other. Luckily her locker was in the 700's, therefore being the next corridor down from the office, so it didn't take her long to find 781.

Collecting everything she needed for the next lesson, Ree decided to head to where she thought her first class was... and was soon lost. She checked her timetable. She had Science first, but where she had thought the classroom was turned out to be wrong. She had no clue where she was, so Ree kept walking, until she reached the next corridor. It was packed with students.

Ree tapped one on the shoulder. The boy spun around; a blonde, with a wide grin. "Uh, hi," he said. "Hello," said Ree nervously. "Um... I'm a new student here... and I was wondering if... you could help me?"

"Oh, uh... sure thing!" he exclaimed. "Whaddaya need? Oh and by the way, the name's Joey. Nice to meet you, uh..."

"Ree. Um... Do you know which way is Room 53?"

Joey thought for a moment. "Hmm... let's see," he muttered to himself. "If we're _here_...then the Science rooms should be _there_ and...

'Oh! I got it!" he shouted. "You should take the stairs, turn left in the corridor, and 53 should be somewhere around there... just look for the number at the top."

Ree brightened. "Oh thank you so much!"

Joey laughed with pride. "Aw, it was nothing..." Then he noticed her bandaged hand. "Ouch, what did ya do to your hand?"

Ree blinked. "Oh, _this_?" she asked, pointing at her hand. "Well... I was running and I didn't look where I was going and--"

"--You fell," finished Joey. Ree nodded and looked sheepish. Joey laughed.

_He's a nice guy, _Ree thought. _Nice, but funny._

"Hey, let's compare timetables," suggested Joey. "I've got History next, but I wanna see if we share any classes." Ree nodded and brought out hers. She saw that they did indeed share a few classes, but the closest today was P.E.-- in third period. "Well then," said Ree, "I guess I'll see you then." Joey grinned.

"Yeah!" he yelled. "Seeya then!" Ree waved back at him as she walked up the stairs. When she had reached the top, she stopped a little way beside it, out of the way of the stairs. Ree wanted to make a good impression and stay out of trouble as much as she could, so she thought it was a good idea to be organised and carry all the books she needed for the lesson in her hands-- that way she didn't need to rummage through her bag in class to find them. Putting on her bag and carrying the books under her good arm, Ree began to turn left in the corridor.

But as she walked around the corner, she met something... or someone. BAM! Ree realised that she had forgotten to slow down and watch for other people. Some other person had obviously done the same thing. Ree's-- and theirs-- possessions flew out in every direction as both she and the person tried to quickly pick up everything that they thought were hers or theirs. By the time Ree had tidied up her papers and books, the other person had long finished. She tried to stand up without putting pressure on her bad hand, a pile of heavy books in the other. But to no avail, she just fell backwards again. Ree sighed in frustration. Angrily, she stuffed everything in her bag. She sighed again.

Ree looked up in front of her and suddenly realised that the boy; she could tell by the uniform; was offering her a hand. Obviously used initiative, he was holding out the opposite hand to her good one. "Geez, it's already the second time I've fallen over today," Ree muttered to herself as she grabbed the boy's hand. As the boy pulled her to her feet, she noticed that he was actually quite tall. Ree gazed up to meet a pair of steely cold blue eyes that seemed to glare right through her.

The boy had short brown hair with a fringe that fell slightly over one eye. He watched her, amused. "Uh... thanks," said Ree nervously, averting the petrifying, almost basilisk gaze, of the the tall stranger. The boy shrugged indifferently. "Whatever," he replied, "Looks like you can barely help yourself." He nodded at her bandaged hand. Before Ree had a chance to reply to his little remark, the boy sweeped out gracefully downstairs. _Hmmm, what a strange individual... _Ree thought, puzzled. _It's almost as if he thinks he is a king! _Then she felt dizzy all of a sudden... and realised she had been holding her breath the entire time. She quickly exhaled with relief. Amazing how just one person can make the room seem so claustrophobic... Ree glanced at her watch. "8.05am-- What?!" She was late! She immediately started to sprint down the corridor. _46, 47, 48... _53 wasn't far now... Then finally have found classroom 53, Ree snatched at the doorknob, yanked it open and bolted through the door. "Sorry..." Ree panted, breathless yet again. "Sorry I'm late..."

The teacher raised an eyebrow. "Ah, you must be Miss Zephyron. Indeed, you are five minutes late... but no matter, you are here now. We are about to start the test." Ree mentally started to panic. _Test? What test? I never knew about this... _The teacher, whose name she finds out later is Mr. Halliwell, saw her confused look and told her that it was just a test to find out what she knew and what she needed to learn or improve on. "Oh, I see," Ree said, nodding her head in understandment.

"Now please be seated at your desk next to Miss Gardner over there by the window so we can begin," ordered the teacher. 'Gardner', who Mr. Halliwell was referring to, turned out to be a tall brunette girl with blue eyes. She smiled at Ree as she sat in her seat. "Hey there," the girl said to her, "My name is Tea.

'You must be Ree Zephyron, the new girl, right?"

Ree nodded. "Hello Tea, nice to meet you," she said politely. Tea smiled and told her, "Well, if you need anything, just shout, okay? I'll help you out!" Ree was surprised by such friendliness and couldn't help a small smile spreading over her face. "Thank you," she said. _Who knew I'd get this far and find so many kind people?_ Ree actually felt content in Domino High... she felt like-- she _belonged_.

_Well, _she thought, _I can certainly settle with this..._


	2. Episode 02

**Episode 02:**

**When Ree Met The Gang...**

The girl stared blankly into space, her dark eyes zoning out into some sort of anti-reality in front of her. As if she were in a trance, she fiddled with her pen as she sat at her desk, managing to play with a strand of hair at the same time...

"Ree!" shouted a voice. The girl jumped in her chair. Ree was so startled, she had almost hit the roof. Immediately, she stopped fiddling with her pen and looked up at the stern face of her teacher, who was staring very intently at her. He didn't seemed to be pleased. "Uh... yes, Sir?" Ree asked anxiously, hoping that she had not landed into too much trouble.

"I said, when I pass you your paper, you may start. Pay attention, Miss Zephyron!" Mr. Halliwell snapped. Ree grimaced. "Yes, Sir... sorry, Sir," she answered, feeling embarrassed that she had already been caught daydreaming on the very first day of school.

"Any questions?" the teacher asked looking round the room. Someone put their hand up. "Yes?"

"Um... what do you do when you've finished?"

"Very good question. Turn your answer sheet over and spend your time creatively, for example, read a book. That does NOT include chewing gum, Mr. Devlin!" Mr Halliwell spat the last words at the youth down the back. Ree studied him. The boy had very spiky black bangs that hung in front of his head, the rest of his hair pulled back in a ponytail. He also wore dice for an earring, but that wasn't the reason why Ree was staring.

His eyes were an incredible shade of laser-green. The boy had an air of confidence, and had a mock-smile fixed upon his face. As he received the teacher's words, he scowled, but obediently made his way to the front of the class to dispose of his gum. While he passed desks, many girls giggled or sighed after him, eyes hopeful for a glance their way. When he passed Ree's desk, he gave her a quick, friendly wink... and Ree found herself concentrated on by several female eyes with death-ray glares. _Geez, What's their problem, _thought Ree, uncomfortable in her position.

Mr. Halliwell passed her a test sheet, and she grabbed out a pencil and began the test, glad to have something to keep her mind off those predatory gazes.

"What is H2O?" read the first question. _Easy_, Ree thought and wrote down 'water' next to the question. Then, perhaps thinking that it was _too easy, _she rewrote her sentence as: 'The combination of the elements Hydrogen and Oxygen that produces water.' She was writing with her left hand, because it was an unfortunate thing that her writing hand was her injured one, which was too painful to use. Her handwriting was a bit shaky and spidery, but she was much relieved that she didn't have to write in ink pen- which would probably cover the whole page with ugly black blotches.

The next couple of questions were simple, with things such as "What is CO2?" and "Explain why we have rain." Then it started getting trickier, with things like, "Name all the types of rock." and "Explain the force of gravity" or "What are allotropes" and even "Describe what an electroencephalogram is/does." Ree got very confused with that last one, but decided to have a guess anyway. As she worked through the paper, she noticed that most of the topics she had already covered and that not many questions eluded her. However, that didn't stop her skipping a few extremely difficult ones, and so, soon, Ree found herself already finished the test, while everyone else was still on it. Either she was very intelligent, or she hadn't put enough detail into her answers... so she decided to attempt the questions she skipped and checked over her answers. By the fifth time she had checked her test paper and found nothing to change- she was sure that she had completely finished her paper, but found that she still had time to spare. Ree sighed in boredom, and decided to draw. She turned over her page, grabbed out her sketch pad from her school bag, and began to scribble random objects furiously. A landscape began to appear, dreamlike and misty. Ree added clouds and a lake, then decided to draw a line of flowers.

Time seemed to pass by ever so slowly... she heard the tick-tock of the clock so clearly- the room was so quiet, she could hear nothing but the sound of scratching pencils... time seemed to pass on so slowly... so slowly... The world felt like a daydream, time dragging on forever... SNAP! Ree's pencil lead broke. She held in a small gasp- the 'Snap' of her pencil had surprised her. The classroom was so quiet, it had seemed like the sound had echoed and reverberated off the walls. Ree looked up to see that more people had finished the test, either reading, or- having a midday snooze. She didn't have a pencil sharpner, so she tapped the girl next to her- Tea, she recalled- on the shoulder. It looked like she was still finishing the test.

"Um, hey Tea-" Ree whispered, "Do you have a pencil sharpner I can borrow?"

Tea shook her head. "Sorry, I don't have one," she apologised.

_Oh well... never mind, _thought Ree. _I guess I'll use my spare pencil... lucky I brought two! _She rummaged through her pencil case, brought out the one that she thought she had, and was about to draw when she saw a small, golden flash. Examining the pencil closer, Ree realised that it wasn't hers. It was red, like hers, but it felt sturdier, and more expensive. She turned it over, to find what had caused the golden flash. There, embellished in what looked like real gold, were the words, 'PROPERTY OF KAIBA CORP'. Puzzled, Ree wondered to whom it belonged to. Secondly, she wondered what kind of a person would have a name like Kaiba Corp... it sounded like a business. But then again, she had heard all sorts of strange names, so she wasn't surprised if someone did. Ree stared at the letters in the pencil more closely.

Using a shaky fingernail, she gently created a small dent in the gold 'R' in 'PROPERTY'. Satisfied with the dent, she classified it as real gold. Ree knew for a fact (A friend of her mother's, who was a jeweller, had told her) that pure gold is soft, and if what was claimed to be real gold was hard, it was either impure or mixed with other metals. The pencil was quite weighty too... meaning the gold must be a few carats. _Who in the world can afford to create pencils with their name embellished in real, three-carat gold? _Then, another question leaped to mind.

_And just how the heck did I get this pencil? _Ree wondered, confusedly. She thought hard, retracing her steps from the morning upwards...

"Oh!" she exclaimed, suddenly remembering- causing several other students to stop and stare...

_Putting on her bag and carrying the books under her good arm, Ree began to turn left in the corridor. But as she walked around the corner, she met something... or someone. BAM! Ree realised that she had forgotten to slow down and watch for other people. Some other person had obviously done the same thing. Ree's- and theirs- possessions flew out in every direction as both she and the person tried to quickly pick up everything that they thought were hers or theirs. By the time Ree had tidied up her papers and books, the other person had long finished..._

Of course- when she had collided into that guy at the top of the staircase, during the confusion Ree must have picked up his pencil by accident! _Well, that makes sense, _she thought. _Hmm, I should probably return it to him sometime. _Then she remembered the severe chilliness of his eyes and shivered slightly. _Then again... maybe not. _thought Ree, uncomfortably. Unexpectantly, the bell rang then, dragging Ree out of her thoughts and making everyone else jump in their seats.

"Alright then, everybody's papers in, finished or not," ordered an obviously stupefied Mr. Halliwell, with one finger still in his ear. Ree let out a small giggle at this as she passed her paper and walked out of the classroom.

"Interval," she breathed in relief, glad to release the tension of the test. She headed out into the field, where several students were grouped around, chatting, laughing, and eating their morning break. Ree, not knowing anyone, decided to settle down under a lone cherry tree standing in a quiet corner of the field, in the shade of its leaves and the perfect amount of sunshine. Surprised that no one else had chosen this spot, she sat down, back against the tree, and closed her eyes. She placed her arms behind her head and listened to the world. Birds sang, students gossiping, the light breeze whistling through the trees... Ree almost fell asleep when a sudden movement made her open her eyes and turn her head.

"Oh hey," said Bakura with a smile, "I do hope I didn't disturb you... you looked quite peaceful." Ree smiled, then laughed. "Oh, I actually wasn't meant to do that. I just felt kind of... at rest."

"Well then, mind if I join you?" asked Bakura.

"No, go ahead."

As they sat together under the tree, Ree wondered something.

"Hey, Bakura... Do you know many people here?" she asked him. Bakura gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if you have other friends, you don't have to hang out with me... if you don't really want to..."

Bakura looked at Ree with a serious expression. "But I do..."

She looked at his eyes. It seemed like he really meant it.

"Really?"

"Yes. Why would you think so otherwise?"

Ree looked down. "I'm... sorry for doubting you. It's just that... I'm not used to true friends..."

Bakura looked surprised. "That's terrible- but don't fear... because now you'll always have a true friend," he said gently, "I'll be there for you."

Ree stared at him for a long time, then smiled. "Thank you," she said, and hugged him. A pink blush began to creep into his cheeks. "You're welcome," Bakura said, laughing. "After all, what are friends for?"

Ree smiled in return, then laid down on the soft grass, gazing up into the bright blue of the sky. She was elatingly happy. Bakura laid down next to her, and together, they watched the slow movement of the clouds passing by. Ree sighed. Then there was a silence. But it wasn't an awkward silence. It was peaceful.

"It's a beautiful day, huh," remarked Bakura.

"Yeah," Ree murmured dreamily, under the spell of the lazy summer heat. Then there was another silence, as they both relaxed, light zephyrs breathing air onto their faces and through their hair. The birds chirped. The world seemed to be suspended in time... and then-

"Ree!" someone called in the distance, breaking the silence. "REE!" Ree turned around to the sound of the voice. A very breathless Tea ran up to them, obviously having spent a lot of time trying to find them. "Phew," she puffed, "I knew you were somewhere around here!" She gasped, still trying to catch her breath. When she finished, Tea announced, "Ree, I want you to meet my friends! It'll be great- the gang will really like you!" Then she noticed the person she was with. "Oh, and I see you've already met Bakura." Bakura smiled.

Ree nodded in agreement and accepted. "Alright then," she said. _Besides, _she thought. _Maybe this is a chance to meet more new friends. True friends. _And with that, Ree stood up, Bakura behind her, and they all headed off.

* * *

Ree gazed at her surroundings. Tea had brought them to the cafeteria, and was leading them to a group of teenagers. They looked curious, but friendly. Ree tried to converse with Bakura, but found he was nowhere to be seen. _Where did he go? Hmm... Maybe he had to go to a meeting or something... _Putting her thoughts aside, she turned her attention to the people she was meeting. Giving the group a glance-over, she noticed someone familiar. He waved.

"Oh hey, Joey!" Ree yelled, and waved back.

"You guys know each other?" Tea asked, confused.

"Yeah, Ree got lost before first period and I helped her out," explained Joey proudly, with a large grin on his face.

"Oh," said Tea, "Well then, I'll introduce you to the others." She first pointed at a boy, a little shorter than everyone else, with red and black hair and blonde bangs. "This is Yugi." The boy gave Ree a shy smile then said a polite Hello. _Yugi? _thought Ree. _Yugi Motou? Who knew that the champion of Duel Monsters went to Domino?_ Tea then pointed to the next person. "Tristan" who was a tall guy, and was nice enough, but seemed a bit _too _friendly. He reminded Ree distinctly of Joey. "Hey," he said. Next was Mai, a pretty blonde girl with an aura of confidence. "Hello, hun," she said with a smile. "It's nice to have another girl to hang out with." With this Ree smiled back. The last person who was introduced was a girl with long, light-brown hair, who turned out to be Joey's sister. Her name was Serenity and she looked to be a few years younger than everyone else. "Hi," she said, with a gentle innocence. Ree noticed that she had Joey's kind eyes.

"-and you've met Joey already," finished Tea. Ree gave the gang a polite smile.

"Nice to meet you all," she said shyly. Everyone seemed equally genuinely pleased to meet her as well. The gang asked her plenty of questions, which she answered, and in turn, Ree asked them questions.

After a while of getting to know each other, Ree suddenly noticed someone from the corner of her eye.

A few metres away, a boy strolled past with a group of swooning girls. "Who is that?" she wondered out loud, staring at the green-eyed youth who had winked at her in Science class. Joey turned to see what she was looking at and answered,

"Oh, him? That's Duke Devlin. I guess he's an alright guy an' all, but sometimes he and his little fanclub can get on, uh- _certain _people's nerves. But I suppose we can call him a friend..." Then he looks away bored. Tristan joking nudged him in the ribs. "_Certain _people, meaning yourself!" he laughed. "You're just jealous because Duke has a fanclub and you don't." Joey turned to him defensively, sparks in his eyes.

"Hey, watch it! And you can't say much since you don't either," he retorted. Ree gave a small giggle, and the two boys ignored each other for a minute, before bursting into laughter. Tea smiled. "Those two are always such knuckleheads- They're like brothers!" Then the bell rang, making everyone jump. They all cracked up with laughter. "Wow, time went fast," remarked Yugi.

"Yeah, it did," Ree agreed. "So what do you guys have next?"

"Maths," said Tristan. "Media Studies," replied Mai and Joey in unison. "Science," said Yugi. "I've got History," Ree said. Tea turned to look at her. "Really?" she said, surprised, "Me too! We can walk together to class!"

And with that, she grabbed Ree's arm and took her down a corridor.

_Wow, Tea is really nice, _she thought. _I remembered when I was like that and got hurt... But maybe this time it'll be different... maybe things will change... _Then she smiled dreamily. _Already I have friends..._

"Ree! Ree!"

"Huh," she murmured confusedly, coming out of her thoughts.

"I just asked you what class you have after this," explained Tea, looking worriedly at her. "Are you okay? 'Cos you were kinda in a trance..."

Ree shook her head and gave her a smile. "Oh, don't worry, I was just... reminiscing about stuff."

"Oh, alright." Tea looked less worried and the pair turned a right into another corridor. Ree opened the door of the classroom and stepped in, Tea following behind. Scanning the room, Ree immediately spotted Bakura sitting at a desk down at the back of the room, alone. _Ah, he takes this class too, _she thought, and sat down beside him, Tea next to her.

"Hey," Ree greeted him with a smile. "Hello, Ree," replied Bakura, returning the smile. After that, the lesson became a blur. The teacher, Mrs. Smythe, had quite an irritating, semi-monotonal voice. Ree found it hard to understand what she was saying, because half of the time she was trying hard not to fall asleep. She barely caught snippets of her words in the air- "Alright class- interesting- blah, blah, History..." _Interesting? _Ree began to yawn slightly. _That's a bit of an exaggeration._

As the rythmnic tone of the teacher droned on and on, Ree began to get drowsy... Mrs. Smythe's voice could be heard as a strange sort of buzzing. It droned on and on... and then... her eyelids slowly closed and Ree soon fell into a deep slumber long before her head touched the desk.


	3. Episode 03

**Episode 03:**

**Encounter of The Strange Kind**

Ree walked down the beach, the soft white sand filtering between her bare toes. In the rose-veiled mauve evening sky, tiny pinpricks of light marked the beginnings of night. Ree sat down, and gazed at the setting sun glaring bright orange streaks against the pinkness of the sky.

She did not know why she was here.

As she watched the sun set down behind the calm blue waters, a ripple blew across the ocean, a light wind sailing past, gone. Suddenly, Ree felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned. She smiled at who it was, knowing his presence.

She watched moonlight reflect off his calm, impassive face, highlighting his mysterious eyes. Then, a rumbling was heard underground. Monstrous, erupting- an earthquake. The air in the world is immediately filled with a hideous sound... "Ree! Ree!" she could hear someone call from far away.

_What is happening? _thought Ree, as the earth shook and trembled. The sound soon became worse- louder... yet it seemed familiar to her... Ree struggled to listen, but it sounded like...

"Miss Zephyron, if you do not answer me this instant, I'll have you write me an one thousand word essay on the history of discipline- in _DETENTION!_"

Awakened from her dream, it suddenly dawned on her. Cautiously opening one eye, Ree found herself sitting at a school desk. _Desk? Oh no, don't tell me I fell asleep in class!_ A hazy figure in front of her soon materialised into a very angry-looking history teacher. Ree inwardly groaned. She quickly opened the other eye and sat up. "I'm really sorry, Ma'am," she apologised. However, this did nothing to change her teacher's mood. Mrs. Smythe glared at her. "Now, will you please answer me, Miss Zephyron, what famous event happened in 1904?"

Ree tried to avoid her teacher's gaze. "Uh... I don't know, Ma'am," she enunciated cautiously. Her teacher gave her a disappointed look, then turned to the class.

"Alright then, anyone else?" Someone put their hand up and answered. The teacher announced the correct answer, then turned back to Ree's desk.

"Just because you are new," warned the teacher, "does not mean you have the privilege of falling asleep in class. If this happens again, I will _really _have you in detention. Today, I shall let you slide." Then she walked away, to begin handing out textbooks. "Page 47. Read the text and do the exercises," ordered Mrs. Smythe. Ree slouched in her seat and let out a sigh.

"Are you alright?" asked Bakura, his eyes full of concern. "You look awfully tired." Ree gave a small smile. "I'm fine," she replied. "I just didn't expect to be yelled at by two teachers today!" Ree laughed.

"I'm sorry I didn't wake you," said Bakura, apologising, "but you seemed so deeply asleep I didn't want to disturb you." Joining the conversation, Tea said,

"I did try, but you sleep like a rock!" She giggled, then grew serious.

"But honestly, are you okay? You do look tired."

Ree shook her head. "I'm fine," she said. "I just didn't know that the way someone talks can affect the way I learn!" The trio all laughed.

"Well it's a good thing you didn't get a detention," said Bakura.

"Yeah," said Ree, "I got lucky." The class passed in a whirlwind of work.

The trio helped each other out on the questions in the textbook, sharing notes and answers. All the while Ree stared at the clock... Finally, after she had given up on watching the time tick slowly by, the bell rang and all the students sighed in relief. Everyone rushed frantically out of the classroom, crushing Ree, Tea and Bakura on their way to the door- half trampled to death by the stampede in the madness. "Ow," groaned Ree, rubbing her shoulder where one rather brutish guy had so carelessly knocked into her... and he was twice her size.

"You guys okay?" sked Bakura, who was also rubbing sore bruises on his body.

"Well, if you count feeling like I've been run over by a bus, sure," laughed Ree.

Tea nodded. "No kidding," she smiled. "C'mon guys, we're going to be late to our next class." At that time, Ree truly felt she belonged. She had friends- true friends... and she was enjoying school. Who knew?

* * *

The rest of the day went by quite fast. She shared a formclass with most of the gang, except Mai and Serenity, but she didn't mind, because they all caught up at other times. Ree had P.E. with Joey, who made it a lot more fun... he was quite the involuntary comedian. They met up with the rest of the gang at lunch, and Tea paid for Ree because she had forgotten her money.

Bakura attended many of her lessons, so he was a great comfort to Ree when classes were getting boring. Everyone in the gang was genuinely nice to her, and had wanted her to hang out with them more. Ree felt most at home with them, and naturally, when the bell rang for the end of school, they had all decided to walk home together, as they all lived in the same direction. As they were walking, they chatted about the day and upcoming events.

""Hey the school dance is in a couple of weeks," Tea was saying. "Are you guys going?" Joey shrugged. "Yeah whatever... I'll go for the free food." Tristan chortled. "You're so immature, Joey. I'm going because I wanna have a good time!" Soon after, he muttered quietly to Joey, "Save me some."

Tea rolled her eyes. "Well, Yugi... Mai... are you guys going?" she asked them. The pair had two very different responses. Mai replied with a short, "Dances are overrated." Yugi turned away and went slightly pink, as if he were caught doing an indecent act. "Well... I'm not sure... I might... if I don't have plans that night..."

Tea sighed. "Am I the only one who's actually going?" she asked, frustrated. Joey and Tristan protested, but were silenced by Tea by a bop to their heads. "Actually going for _a good reason, _and Tristan- you don't count," she added, giggling as Tristan began fuming. "Hey, what about you, Serenity?"

The girl smiled. "Sure," she said, "It sounds like fun! Are you going, Ree?"

Ree thought for a second.

"Well, probably... but I don't really want to bring anyone," she said. "Besides, I can't dance." Tea's eyes lit up. "I can teach you," she exclaimed excitedly. "And we three can all go together- who needs partners!" Soon, her road arrived, and Tea waved a farewell to gang to go home. A few minutes later, it was Mai's turn. The topic soon shifted onto people, then Duel Monsters.

"Do you play, Ree?" asked Yugi. Ree smiled a secretive, shy smile. "Yeah, a bit..." she said, "though I'm probably not as good as you, Yugi- I heard you're the World Champion!" she said laughing. Yugi blushed and looked at his shoes.

"Well I guess I can hold my ground in a game," he replied modestly. Joey tackled Yugi and then ruffled his hair, probably to Yugi's annoyance. "Nonsense!" Joey cried, "Yugi's the greatest player I've ever seen- the best of the best-" "-He's the King of Games!" finished Tristan. All the while, Yugi did nothing but sweatdrop and blush and stare at his shoes. Finally, when he was finished, he asked Ree, "So... what's your favourite card?" Yugi was almost bowled over by Joey's elbow in his excitement. "Yeah, and we can all duel sometime!"

"Well, uh..." began Ree, "don't laugh okay, if it's not as powerful as yours..."

Joey instantly leapt to answer. "Of course not! Now what's ya answer, anyways?"

Ree gave him a curious look, then said, "My favourite card is the Guardian Angel Joan." She wondered how they would react. Joey stared at her blankly, as if he had no idea what is was, but thought it sounded pretty powerful. "Wow," he said. Yugi, on the other hand, seemed to be quite interested.

"Really? That's pretty cool! It must be pretty useful in a duel," he remarked.

Ree smiled. "Yeah," she agreed. "Yeah, it is." Then she noticed that Bakura had been very quiet throughout the entire conversation.

"So what's your favourite card, Bakura? she asked him. He doesn't seem to answer. "Bakura? Bakura? Earth to Bakura!" She exclaimed, waving an arm in front of him. He awoke up from what seemed to be a trance-like state and looked up in a panic. "Huh-? Wha-? Did I miss something?" he asked Ree, blushing madly. She stared at him. "Are you alright?" she inquired. "Oh yeah... I'm fine..." He smiled at her. Then he did exactly what Yugi was doing a minute ago... and stared at his shoes.

Ree was completely befuddled. _What do boys think is so interesting about their shoes? Why don't girls do that? _She thought, confused. _Argh, boys... _After chatting for a while, the rest of the gang started to split up to go to their houses at different forks. Tristan left, then Joey. Soon- as Yugi waved goodbye with a "I've got to go help Grandpa, seeya guys tomorrow."- it left just Ree and Bakura walking together down the road.

The pair was very quiet, and no words were spoken- just silence. Just the quiet, echoey kind of silence that makes the silent air feel unnerving... Ree wasn't a very good conversation starter, so she kept silent, hoping Bakura would speak first. He didn't.

Ree began to wonder if he was ignoring her... but that couldn't be right. After all, he wouldn't have a reason to, would he? The pair continued to walk down in silence. Ree, having nothing else better to do, or stare at for that matter- began to focus all her attention on studying Bakura, who was back in 'trance' mode. Of course, she didn't want to be obvious, so she kept stealing glances whenever she thought necessary. He was slightly taller than she was, and had a lean build. His long, silver-blonde hair looked as soft as his eyes, and he had a very thoughtful expression on his face.

Ree was glad to have such a kind friend, both in body and spirit. He looked... innocent. Suddenly, Bakura snapped out of his thoughts. "Sorry I haven't said much..." he apologised, yet again. "You must think I'm ignoring you or something..." Ree waved it off, insisting, "Oh, no it's alright, I managed fine." Then the two went back to chatting again, Ree feeling slightly more cheerful.

After two roads down, it was their street. Again, there was another silence. But this time, there was something weird about it. Ree felt the strangest sensation- cold, chilling- as if something had traveled down her spine. Yet, she knew that it wasn't cold today... She shivered, and turned to Bakura.

And stared. His shirt... there was something under his shirt... and it was glowing an eerie golden light. Ree was reeling in shock, but kept walking. _What- Am I imagining things? _She blinked. _Am I truly going insane?_

Then the light faded and Ree convinced herself that she was indeed seeing things- until she saw her companion's face. Somehow, Bakura seemed older... a lot more confident. And his hair- what was up with his hair? It had transformed into dangerous-looking spikes, and his bangs seemed to have stood up wildly- forming what could be a pair of horns.

_Okay, that must be it- I've lost it..._ Ree felt uneasy... and had a slight headache. As if knowing she was gazing at him, Bakura's pupil's swivelled round to see her. Ree looked away quickly, but not before getting an image of his red- red? No... brown eyes penetrating hers as her eyes left his face. She pretended not to see him for a few minutes, before she felt it was safe to look directly at him again. When she did, Bakura seemed back to normal, and even smiled at her. The strange feeling she had felt was gone. By this time, they were already nearing the front of her house, his, next door.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Ree," he said gently as he waved goodbye. She smiled, unlocking the door and stepped inside. She travelled down to her bedroom, flung her bag at the wall, and flopped onto her bed, exhausted, with many things racing through her mind. She sighed deeply. Replaying everything that had happened that day in her mind, she began to wonder about a lot of things.

_Well, _she thought. _Life seems to be getting pretty interesting around here. I've made friends, made it through my first day of school, and I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow. _Then she thought of something else. _And what was with that whole thing with Bakura? Was it even real, or did my imagination spin out of control? _"Mmm..." she murmured thoughtfully. _Maybe I should confront him about it tomorrow... _Then she shook her head. _Or not... he probably will think I'm crazy. _

Ree smiled ironically.

_And I truly thought that things would be boring... _She relaxed and closed her eyes...

_I guess not._


	4. Episode 04

**Episode 04:**

**Science Class in Room 61**

BEEP! A groggy Ree Zephryon awoke, yet again, to the annoyingly shrill beeping of her alarm clock. But today, she thought, was different. Yes, it was another ordinary school day. This time, she smiled, the pain of the morning unfazing her. Her thoughts had been empty of worries, having made a few friends the day before. She hadn't encountered anyone who could possibly be of some nuisance to her, or an enemy, and for that, she was glad of. As she clambered out of her bed, Ree dreamily hummed a random tune- her notes light, pleasant with elation.

Even managing to ignore the evil pinkness of her uniform, she dressed quickly, long before her mother had called her to breakfast. Several minutes earlier than usual, Ree arrived at the breakfast table, practically skipping, refreshed.

Her mother noticed the change in her daughter's mood. "You look rather joyful today," she remarked. "Did something good happen at school yesterday?" Ree sat casually in her chair, leaning back. "Oh, it's just a new day for excitement and opportunities," she replied off-handedly. Her mother hid her grin and knew the reason for her daughter's happiness. She had been lonely for a long time.

"Made some friends did you?" Ree turned, surprised. Then slowly, a small smile began to spread over her face. The light in her brown eyes danced. "Yes," she said, "I did." Then she stabbed a piece of french toast and shoved it into her mouth, suddenly ravenous.

"That's excellent, dear. Tell me what happens today, alright?" Her mother smiled at her, pleased for her. Finishing her breakfast, Ree begun to ready herself to set out for school. As she walked past the coffee table in the lounge, her mother called to her, "Don't forget your lunch money!" Ree quickly grabbed her purse lying on the table and raced out the door. "Bye," she yelled as she shut the door behind her. She saw that Bakura was already waiting for her outside the front gate.

"Hey," Ree greeted him. "Hello," he replied with a smile. "Want to walk to school together again?" "Of course." With that, the pair walked off. They talked about all sorts of things. It was so easy between them. They talked about life in general, the weather, their favourite colours, their hobbies... which eventually led to the topic of Duel Monsters... yet again.

_Funny, how everything seems to come back to this game, _she thought. "You didn't answer my question yesterday," Ree then told him. Bakura looked confused. "What question?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. She laughed, seeing his face. "I asked you what your favourite card was. You kinda blanked out for a second though, so I never got an answer." Bakura blinked, and stopped walking. "Oh," he said. "I'm sorry." Ree shook her head. "No, don't be," she told him. "Just answer me." He looked her in the eyes.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

Bakura looked away for a second, then placed his hand in his pocket and drew out his deck. He spent a few moments shuffling through his cards before finally picking one out. He held it up, the back facing Ree. He watched her intently. "This is my favourite card," he said quietly, and flipped it over. Ree didn't say anything, but her eyes revealed a slight surprise. After a moment's silence, she said, "I see. But why is that your favourite card?" Bakura hesitated a fraction. He looked at her, his gentle eyes suddenly full of distance and mystery. He didn't answer her question directly. "_Where there is light, there is also a darkness." _Then, he resumed walking.

Ree didn't follow him immediately. She paused, to take in what he said. Then she followed him. Bakura seemed to realise she had fallen behind and had stopped to wait for her to catch up. "Oh, I'm awfully sorry, Ree, was I walking too fast? Here, I'll walk slower." He smiled cheerfully, as if they had never had that strange conversation. Ree smiled back, then made as if to look at the scenery. For Bakura's favourite card was the Change of Heart- and she had the very same card in her own deck. It was a powerful card.

But one thing puzzled her. He had seemed very withdrawn, almost reluctant to show her the card. If it was his favourite card, shouldn't he be excited to show her it? He had seemed to wonder if she should see it... as if... he was hiding a secret. It was then she realised that there must be a deeper meaning to it being his favourite card than just power. She wondered what it was, what he was reluctant to reveal. What was that about Light and Darkness? She knew about opposites. How everything in the world has it's anti-twin. But how did that link to him? Then she remembered the incident yesterday... that golden light... that _object _under his shirt... Bakura- who, for a second, he wasn't... "Bakura?"

Bakura turned his head. "What is it, Ree?" He looked so innocent, his brown eyes wide and gentle. Ree then decided that it wasn't the right time. She smiled at him. "Oh, it's nothing," she assured him. "Look." She pointed. "We're almost at school." And indeed they were, for they saw the tall grey building loom high above them.

As they approached, she noticed a group of people clustering outside. They looked familiar... Then Ree's eyes lit up and waved. It was the gang! She ran towards them, Bakura close behind. "Hey guys," said Ree. "Hey there, Ree, Bakura," the gang chorused. Then, with the help of her new friends, she managed to navigate successfully through the throng of students to her locker to get her stuff, with time to spare. Strangely though, Bakura couldn't stay with them long enough. He gave them all an apologetic look, flashed a small smile at Ree and told them he had something to do before rushing off somewhere.

Tristan watched him as he left. "That guy is always appearing and disappearing," he said thoughtfully. Ree gave him a curious look. "What do you mean?" The boy sweatdropped. "I didn't mean it in a bad way," he said defensively, "It's just that, he comes and goes so often that we really don't see him much..."

"Oh, I see," replied Ree. _I wonder why? _Then she gazed into the distance thoughtfully, the bell ringing as she did so. _There's so much I still don't know about him yet. I feel so close to him already yet I'm so far away...

* * *

_

She had Science class. Desperate not to be late again, Ree had travelled upstairs with speed. She had forgotten that Tea had Science also, and was surprised when a breathless Tea ran after her, telling her to wait up. "Wait!" she had cried, and Ree had stopped. When Tea asked her what her hurry was, Ree had simply replied, "Don't want to be late again," and dashed off. Now Tea had finally caught up with her in the classroom, but was in for an interesting surprise. Ree was in deep conversation with the teacher. And she looked concerned.

Thinking Ree was in some sort of trouble, Tea immediately ran towards them. As she raced past the desks to the front of the class she yelled, "Wait! WAIT!"

Heads turned, faces blank and confused. "Um, excuse me, Sir," said Tea, "whatever Ree did... erm... it was all my fault. Uh, I take all of the blame." The teacher just looked as blank as the rest. Finally, he said, "Ree's not _in trouble,_ if that's what you're assuming. Unless you're telling me _you're _the reason Miss Zephyron here passed the science test with flying colours?" Now it was Tea's turn to look blank and confused. "Huh?"

Mr. Halliwell beamed. "That's right, Miss Gardner," said he, "Ree got a 98.5% score on the test yesterday. On the very first day! Impressive, wouldn't you say?" Tea, dumbfounded, just stared. Ree laughed nervously. "Aha, yeah... and I guessed some of the questions..." Tea smiled weakly. "Wow," she remarked. "That was unexpected..." Mr. Halliwell, however, raised an eyebrow. "And how come, exactly, that you answered those guessed questions correctly, Ree?" he inquired sternly.

The girl looked at him, tense. "Um, a bit of common sense, knowledge, logic, and hypothesised estimates?" Her teacher continued to glare her down. "I see," he said softly. Certain that she would be retained in detention with no idea of what she had done, Ree closed her eyes for her sentence. It didn't come. Instead, when she opened her eyes she found her teacher smiling. "Well that settles it-," cried Mr. Halliwell. "I knew I made the right choice. You've been moved to Advanced Science 101 in Room 61, in the next corridor."

_What?_ _You've got to be kidding me. I'm already into extension work! _Ree inwardly groaned. Damn my hidden intelligence, she thought. Looking around, she saw that already people were whispering about her- apart from Tea and Mr. Halliwell, of course. _Nerd, _she heard. _Genius freak... _Oh well, she thought, so much for hoping for no future nuisances..."So... I guess you're not in my science class now..." sighed Tea. "I'm going to feel so lonely..." Ree shook her head. "Room 61's not that far," she said reassuredly, "and besides, I'm in your form class, remember? Besides, we can catch up at break..." Tea brightened. "You're right," she answered. "No matter where we are, we're still friends." Ree smiled. "Right." Then she sighed. "Well, I better go to my new class now, catch you later."

As she walked down the corridor, Ree pondered on what had just happened. Okay, she thought, so I've been moved up to extension. That hasn't changed anything. And alright, so I've now got a reputation as being a female nerd who's always late to class, but why should I care what they think? They don't really know anything... She looked up. _Now what was it he said? _The next corridor... she looked around, and saw the numbers 57, 58, and 59 ahead. Just a little bit further... Eventually Ree found the door. Room 61- the number spelled in rusty silver across the top. The door looked old, and it looked like it creaked. A knot formed in her stomach, and she was anxious... yet at the same time she was scared and she was curious.

Lightly, she rapped on the door with her knuckles. Ree waited, but nothing happened. _Did I not knock hard enough? _As she raised her hand to knock again, the door happened to open. A tall, dangerous-looking man wearing crescent moon spectacles loomed over her intimidatingly, blocking the light in the doorway of the room. "Yes?" he rasped. "What do you want?" Ree gulped down her fear and tried not to squeak.

Amazingly, she heard her voice speak out calmly, "Hello, Sir. I was sent by Mr. Halliwell because he moved me to Room 61." Suddenly, the man stepped back, so she could see him better in the light. He had a short grey beard and wore a white labcoat, stained with anonymous fluids. He smiled kindly at Ree... and she found he was no longer scary. In fact, he reminded her of someone's grandfather... if not rather a deranged one.

"Ah yes," the man nodded, "You'll be Ree, won't you? Yes, Mr. Halliwell's been telling me all about you. Quite the bright girl, aren't you? Well then, come in, you don't need to stand there all day like a statue..." he stated, leading her in. "I am Mr. Maneco, but some people like to call me Mr. Manic" He then proceeded to laugh like a lunatic. Ree sweatdropped. _Mr. Manic? And he wonders why... _"Come now, take a seat- anywhere will do- and we'll continue the lesson," he said, as the girl took a look around. They were a depressing bunch, really, she thought. Most- no, _all _of them were nerds, who just stared at her in a snobbishly superior manner... no girls here. Damn, thought Ree. _Why do I have to be smart? Why? _

She sighed melodramatically. In her head, of course- she didn't want to accidentally get into the bad books of her new teacher.

It was then, as she took another glance at the classroom, that she noticed him. He was sitting at the far back corner all alone, not bothering to pay any attention to everything else that was going on around him- not that it was very much, thought Ree- and was furiously typing on a laptop.

Thinking it odd to be doing such a thing during a school lesson, she looked closer around the room and found the rest of the nerds with their own various electronic equipment, pushing buttons and tapping screens all at various intervals. Suddenly, the boy on the laptop stopped typing, and Ree was immediately struck with a familiarity. As he pulled the lid of the laptop down, their eyes met, like lightning. Ree wanted to gasp- but already, she had forgotten how to breathe. She couldn't be sure if it was who she thought it was- the light down the back was too dim to see... But she had already realised his face before she saw his eyes.

She didn't need to be sure. Because she already knew who he was.


	5. Episode 05

**Episode 05:**

**Ice-cold Jerk, Anyone?**

She blinked. Of course it was him. It was the tall, dark, and arrogant stranger of ice she had encountered accidentally on top of the staircase yesterday. _This is __**his **__science class? _Mr. Maneco coughed from behind her. "Ah, I'm afraid you won't be able to choose your seat at the moment, Miss Zephyron," he apologised, "I forget it is not frequent that we get an additional student in our class... least not a girl!" He chuckled in his deep, crazy laugh. It was an unusual sound... like villainous laughter mixed with the grinding of a chainsaw. A definite mad scientist laugh.

"You will be seated next to Mr. Kaiba until I find room for you to have your own space... which may take some time," the teacher announced, gesturing at the youth. _Not him, _thought Ree, and mentally braced herself for another maniacal laugh- but it didn't come. She sighed in relief. After all, then it would have seemed that he had done that on purpose, just to annoy her. Then something jolted in her memory. _Wait... Kaiba-? _She had heard that name before, but she had temporarily forgotten. Ree frowned in thought. Then she shrugged it off- after all, she did have quite a menacing class to get through now. She placed herself gingerly next to the boy, who had taken up staring directly ahead of him- showing no signs of annoyance nor delight that she now shared his classroom... and his space. The rest of the geniuses- or _genii, _she corrected herself- like Mr. Kaiba beside her, proceeded to act as if Ree didn't exist. _Well, it seems that girls are the lesser species here_, she thought resentfully. _Boys- that figures. _Her attention then faced the front of the classroom, where Mr. Maneco was continuing where he had left off before she had arrived.

"Now, as I was saying," began the teacher, "Everything has a centre of gravity. In the Solar System, our centre of gravity is the Sun. Should the Sun's gravity vanish, the planets revolving around it will spin forward in straight lines through space for infinity..." Ree then nodded. They must be learning about Astronomy or Forces, and she hoped it wasn't the latter- for it was her worst topic. Luckily for her, she had covered most of it in her previous school in her revision periods. Then Ree cringed, and held back the urge to smack her head. _Argh, _she thought. _I'm such a study geek! _Then, _I really __**am **__a nerd... _She sighed mentally. Even though she thought stereotyping stupid, immoral, and a complete waste of time, she still managed to label herself into a category...

Mr. Maneco was now handing out textbooks. "Page 132, Chapter 8A. Write down a few notes about what I've just explained, then do the exercises." Ree quickly obeyed, but as she opened up her textbook to the right page, she saw that Kaiba hadn't even bothered to touch his. In fact, he had just opened up his laptop again and with a flurry of moving fingers, was yet again furiously typing. Ree found herself automatically moving to open his textbook for him- then stopped. She found her own generosity unnerving. Why should she? If he doesn't bother to do what they were supposed to, that's not her problem, is it? Then immediately, she felt guilty for thinking it. Even though he wasn't the friendliest person, he had helped her up on that day, didn't he? It was only right to repay the favour.

Quickly, Ree flipped open the boy's textbook. She wrote down a few lines in her own workbook and stole a quick glance at her neighbour. He was still on his laptop. And the teacher didn't seem to be doing anything about it. Ree assumed Kaiba had permission, but it did seem unfair to everyone else who was doing schoolwork, but she continued to work on, as if she didn't notice him. The unusual, test-conditionlike quietness in the classroom allowed her to think clearer, but it also made her feel a strange emptiness, a loneliness- as if there was no one else in here. All Ree could hear was the distant tick of the clock, the scratches of multiple pens on paper, and the tapping sounds of her silent, typing classmate. She worked through the exercises steadily, with occasional glances at the boy. By the time she had finished, Ree had written a whole page in her (almost) neat, curly handwriting. After all, her hand was still healing after that fall from the previous day

Finding nothing else to do, and not wanting to ask her teacher for extra work, she busied herself in designing a border around her page. Dreamily, she drew many curving, swirling lines, which eventually became wild roses, with thorns that curled and twisted around each other. Viewing her handiwork, she smiled. After all, art was one of only a few fortes she had that she was proud of. Ree then decided to add colour, and began tinting the roses with her red pen. She had only done half the page when a voice above her said, "This is Science, Miss Zephyron, not Art class." She looked up to see a stern, unimpressed Mr. Maneco looming over her. Ree was nervous. Then, just as quickly as the tension had built, her teacher gave a tremendous laugh. "Though those roses look absolutely wonderful! You're quite the artist." Ree was startled, and began with, "Well, uh... Thank you, Si-" But a now jolly Mr. Maneco had cut across her with,

"Hahahaha! You should have seen your face! I scared you didn't I? 'This is Science, not Art class'... Hah! I crack myself up!" Ree didn't know what to say, but was much relieved she hadn't climbed into the pits of trouble again. "Um," she said politely, and ambiguously, and rapidly turned to see if anyone else had noticed the commotion. They hadn't. Or if they had, they were too busy still ignoring her, including Kaiba, who seemed oblivious to the whole world apart from his laptop. Meanwhile, Mr. Maneco took the girl's 'Um' as an invitation to launch into a speech about the days he was a sideshow comedian and began reminiscing out loud. Thankfully, the bell sounded, cutting his trip down memory lane short, and Ree was fortunately allowed to pack up and make her escape to the outside world. However, _unfortunately _for her, as everyone left the classroom in a desperate rush (she had never seen nerds move so fast), at the last minute Ree was called back in by Mr. Maneco. "Uh, yes, Sir?" she asked, hoping that this meeting wouldn't take too long.

"Ah yes... since you've just arrived here," he began, "it will take some time to settle in, yes?" Ree nodded her head demurely, not knowing where this was going. "Well, we're currently studying the topics of Forces and Energy... and I've assigned everybody to do a project on it- their choice." Seeing her surprised face, he said, "Yes, Ree, I know you're new, but I simply can't let you escape from this assignment- it'd be unfair on the boys, you know? And as a teacher, I can't do any favours..."

Ree couldn't believe it. Second day only and she was already on assignments! _This is extension? Oh gosh...

* * *

_

Perhaps he had seen her very shocked face. Perhaps he thought he was helping her. Maybe it was both. But nevertheless, Mr. Maneco had added, "You won't be doing this alone, of course. I've set everyone with pairs. Well, almost everybody... Seto is quite capable of doing this on his own- but... he's the only one left without a partner... so that's who you'll be working with." And Ree had just stared. The name hadn't rung any bells, and she was still trying to overcome the fact that she was already hitting heavy work on her second day of school. "I'm sorry," she had said, not quite understanding, "Who? I'm sorry, sir, but... I don't know who Seto is." It wasn't all she wanted to say. She had also wanted to ask, why the heck are they assigned a project to do on the second day of school? It was crazy. But then again, her teacher had seemed like he was.

He didn't immediately answer her question- he had seemed to freeze for a minute- then thaw. "You don't know-? Well, that's a first!" Mr. Maneco seemed quite shocked. "Bright boy, Seto is... brilliant mind, brilliant... Has his own company, too, you know... Never laughs at my jokes, though..." Then he seemed to become immersed in his own thoughts.

"Um, yes," Ree had interrupted, "But _who _is he? Which person?" For she hadn't a clue. No idea, at all. And she was going to get a surprise...

Her teacher had looked at her, distracted. "Oh you know, Seto Kaiba, the boy you sat with down the back." he had said, gesturing absent-mindedly to the back of the classroom. And Ree _had_ been shocked. Again. _That guy...? _Now, she stood, thoughts in a whirlpool of questions, answers, and emotions. _So that's his name... Seto Kaiba. Mr. Cold, Calm and Arrogant. _She recalled his steely, superior gaze, and the way he ignored her completely in class. _Ice-cold jerk, anyone? _Ree sighed. She wasn't sure how the project would ever be completed. How can anyone deem it possible, when it's obvious that they wouldn't be able to work together? How can it be possible when it seems like _noone _can work with him? Ree realised now that the only reason he had helped her up that day, and hadn't left her, was to just prove to her how weak she was- compared to him, obviously. She didn't dislike him, but she definitely didn't like him, either. _First impressions can be wrong, _she told herself. But she knew she was probably kidding herself. _Well_, _I guess I've found the one person who can possibly be a nuisance to me, _she thought. Ree looked at her teacher glumly.

"Well, thanks a lot, Mr. M," she said dully as she headed out the door, leaving him to contemplate his new nickname.

_So Seto Kaiba is my project partner, huh, _Ree thought to herself. It seemed like she was encountering this guy a few too many times to be necessary. "I can see that this project is going be a lot of fun," she said sarcastically, and sighed. She walked downstairs and headed towards the third corridor to collect the next set of stationery from her locker for her next class. What was it? History? On the way, Ree spotted Bakura about to head off to his locker. "Bakura!" she called. He turned and smiled. "Hey there, Ree." Ree laughed. "History next," she told him, "Ready to learn some more useless facts and figures?" Bakura just smiled. "Oh you should give it a chance, Ree. You could learn some interesting things." Ree cocked her head to the side and gave a puzzled smile. "Yeah, I suppose... I just need to find the topic that holds my interest." He nodded. Then Ree laughed. "You can be my topic of interest!"

Bakura blushed and said, "Well, we better go to our lockers if we actually want to be in class..." Ree agreed and told him she'll see him in class, before waving goodbye and then resumed her walk to her locker. As she continued her journey, she passed an empty corridor. Or so she had thought. As she was about to walk past, Ree noticed a single solitary figure at his locker, removing what looked like computer disks and packing them into a dark briefcase. Kaiba. All of a sudden, she realised that she still had his pencil. She had forgotten to return it to him during class. Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed it out. The letters flashed. KAIBA CORP. _Didn't Mr. Maneco say he owned a company?_

Suddenly, on an impulse, Ree began walking down the corridor towards him. After a few seconds, she instantly regretted it. What am I doing, she shouted mentally to herself. Stop it- you'll make a fool out of yourself- Stop it now! Then a small voice in her head said to her, _But you have to return that pencil of his, don't you remember? After all, what else are you doing then? History is the next corridor... _Ree sighed in her head. She couldn't fight her own logic. And her kindness was like a curse. Why me, she thought, as she got closer. When she stood right behind him, her mind went completely blank. _Oh God, _she thought. _What am I going to say?_ Ree groaned to herself. She should've planned this before she had just decided to walk up to him. Oh well, here goes nothing... Ree reached out a hand to tap his shoulder, and opened her mouth.

But before she could speak, the boy turned around and asked her, rather rudely, "What do you want?" Ree was done for. Mustering all of her courage, she looked him in the eye and tried not to stammer. "I... I came here to return something y-you may have lost..." said Ree, as calmly and confidently she could. She held out the red pencil. "I believe this is yours?" Seto looked from Ree to the pencil, his bright blue eyes surveying her closely. Finally, he said, "Keep it." The boy picked up his briefcase and began to walk away. The girl just stood there, with the unnerving feeling that she was somehow politely rejected, even though she had not made an invitation. "Wait- What?" she exclaimed, and was utterly bewildered. Seto did not bother turning around, and continued walking. "Keep it," he repeated. "I have many spares."

"But-" Ree protested, "-it's _yours!_" He didn't answer. Without realising it, she ran after him. "Wait!" She caught up, but struggled to keep up with his longer stride.

"Hey," she said while catching her breath, "Did- Mr. Maneco-" Ree spoke between breaths- "tell you- that we're project partners?" Huff, puff. Still no answer. She continued to walk hurriedly with Seto, and his walk took them through the main entrance gates of the school. Only then did he stop, take a deep breath and ask, "Mustyou follow me _everywhere_?" A black limousine pulled up to the school gates. Before he climbed in, Ree frustratingly tried to explain, "Apparently we're project partners. Shouldn't we be working together on a plan?"

Seto glared at her with a penetrating stare, but said to his chaffeur, "Let's go." Her awkwardness completely disappeared now, Ree just felt annoyed and even more frustrated. "And where are you going, Mr. Kaiba? We still have school!" she shouted at him. He looked at her slightly amused, and then coolly pronounced, "Look, it is none of your concern where I go. I have certain business to attend to. So if you excuse me..." He got into the limo. The girl stared at him, even more bewildered and confused. Seto looked at her strange expression a bit more, then started to close the door. But before he did, he seemed to stop and listen for something. Then, studying her, he said softly, "You'll be late for class." Then he closed the door and the black limo drove off.

It took Ree a few seconds to register what he had meant by that. Then realisation dawned on her and she groaned out loud. He meant that the bell had rang! And how many minutes ago was that? Two? Five? She couldn't risk being late again- it would permanently imprint on her reputation... not that she had much of one. But she didn't want trouble leaking out to every teacher she had as a new student... they would then always keep an eye on her- waiting for some small mistake... Ree was determined. If she wanted to be on time, she will have to get to class before the second bell went- before class officially started... And the only way she could do it was if she sprinted. She sighed. Why hadn't she tried harder in her P.E. classes?

Then Ree took a deep breath. And ran.


	6. Episode 06

**Episode 06:**

**Science Project- The First Meeting, Part 1**

Ree arrived in the classroom, panting and trying to catch her breath, seconds before the bell rang. Mrs. Smythe raised an eyebrow. "You were lucky this time, but I think you'd do better to give us a few more minutes warning, Miss Zephryon," she said. Ree nodded, and headed to her seat, where Tea and Bakura already were seated. As she sat behind her desk, Tea whispered, "Why were you so late?" Ree sighed and told them the story. As she reached the part about Mr. Maneco's partnership science project, Tea gasped and said, "-Don't tell me..." Both of them had already guessed.

Bakura finished for her. "Kaiba's your project partner?" Ree nodded, and the other two were stunned. Tea looked sympathetic. "Wow," she mused, "I bet he wasn't too thrilled... Kaiba never works with anyone. He's far too cold and arrogant to share his plans... let alone _anything_ with others." Bakura agreed.

"It would seem that the only way you can somewhat work with him," he said, "is by working _for _him, or _against _him. It does make you wonder though, doesn't it?

'If all that money and power has gone to his head?"

Ree stared at them glumly. "Yeah, I can see that... What am I going to do?"

"Well," said Tea, "You should probably try confronting him about it. Usually, I think if you bug him enough, he'll probably make a compromise." She laughed.

Ree shook her head. "You didn't hear all of my story. I met him at his locker after class to return a pencil of his... then when I asked him if he knew about the partnership, he didn't answer me.

'After that he drove away in a black limo... and he didn't tell me where he was going."

Tea thought for a moment. "Hmm... okay then, I'm not sure what you can do... but maybe we can ask the guys later at lunch." Ree nodded. "Okay."

"By the way," said Bakura, "did he take the pencil?" She was surprised at the question, but Ree replied, "No. He told me to keep it." Bakura nodded in understandment.

"I thought not," he said. "Kaiba is pretty strong-headed... and he's not exactly the most grateful person."

A sharp rap on their desks told them to stop talking. As the trio looked up to see an unimpressed and angry looking Mrs. Smythe looming over their desks, they all sweatdropped.

"Sorry, Ma'am," they chorused in unison, and immediately began to start working...

But they soon learnt to keep their voices down to a whisper after that.

Lunch came sooner than they expected. The three met up with the rest of the gang, and sat down in a rough circle on the field. Tea told them Ree's story, to which everyone reacted different to. Mai seemed impressed, Yugi was surprised, and Serenity was amazed. "I think that was great, how you stood up to him," she said in her soft voice. Ree had smiled.

Only Tristan and Joey had a negative reaction to it. They pressed her for details and asked her lots of questions. "Are you alright?" asked Joey.

"Did Rich-boy say anything threatening to you?" Tristan asked.

"I swear I'll beat him up for you," offered Joey.

Ree sweatdropped and shook her head furiously. "No, no... wait, guys," she said quickly.

"He didn't hurt me or anything like that. He just didn't give me a straight answer, that's all."

Joey growled. "That's so typical of Kaiba- that snobby know-all attitude is more than what I bear...!" Ree shook her head harder.

"Really, guys, it's okay. I just hope we can come to a decision with our project..."

She sighed. "I wasn't expecting such big things from me when I moved up into Advanced Science..."

Mai put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hun," she said, "Don't worry. You're more than a match for him. You're better- you're smart, and you're a girl.

'I bet he can't handle that a girl makes his equal. Tell that to his face."

"Yeah," said Yugi, thoughtfully. "If you get him to speak to you alone again for a while, I'm sure he'll make some sort of a compromise." Ree nodded.

"That's true... he can't not say anything if he isn't going anywhere," she said thinking of the moment the limo had driven away. "I'll try again."

Then she smiled. "Thanks guys. I'm glad we're friends."

* * *

She sighed. As the door of her locker clanged shut, Ree wondered if there was even a possible chance of completing the science project. After all, she had really wanted to start the year of with a good grade. School had passed uneventfully and quickly, and she hadn't seen her extremely obnoxious project partner all day... and she needed to get this confrontation thing out of the way and get to an agreement. Ree had known it was almost certainly impossible, but you can only try, right? Besides, she had a backup plan- if he declined again, she could ask Mr. Maneco for a solo project. Surely, he'll understand and make an acceptable allowance. Surely... Her heart sunk. Of course, she was just kidding herself. If the boy had his way, he'd probably exclude her from everything and let her do nothing. But if he declined, she would have to do the project alone without the help and advantage of a partner... so she wasn't going to be happy either way. And it was all that arrogant Kaiba's fault. _Stupid, rich, pompous, over-inflated egotistic megalomaniac. Stupid, stupid, STUPID! _Ree was so immersed in her angry, self-audienced rant that she almost missed the object of her annoyance walking coolly past as if he hadn't noticed her. Ree blinked. Twice. And realised who had just passed.

"K- Kaiba!" she exclaimed. As she expected, he ignored her. Ree was forced to run after him, yet again. "Kaiba!" she called. "Kaiba, I need to speak with you- Kaiba- _Seto_!" He stopped, and turned around, allowing Ree to finally catch up with him. She glimpsed a strange expression on his face. Was it surprise? Confusion, even? But before she could register what it was, it flickered and in seconds was gone, quickly returning to the cold, emotionless expression she had gotten to know. Before she could speak, Seto got in first. "If you're wanting to ask about that project," he said harshly, "You can save your breath and not waste my time. I work _alone_. So if you're wanting a good grade, I'd just wait until I finish it myself and you can just sign the papers." Ree grit her teeth and swallowed the many acid retorts erupting from her brain. He was so infuriating! She tried to keep her anger from her voice and spoke as calmly as she could.

"Well, _actually, _Seto,I plan to get a good grade on this project by actually doing some work on it. Unlike you, I actually care about the way I acquire grades.

'I plan to split this project 50/50, and if you don't like it, well, too bad! Because that's the way we were partnered up to do this, and that's how it's going to be!

And maybe if you didn't have an aversion of people, and quit being such a jerk, you can possiby get it through that thick skull of yours that we're stuck being partners! And if you can't handle it, it just proves what a coward you really are.

'But of course, for you that would be an impossible task, being such an arrogant jerk and all."

Anger and frustration had poured out of her and crashed like a giant tsunami. For a moment, Seto was silent. It could have almost been shock. Then, he laughed. Smirking, he said, "Well, that was quite an impressive tirade coming from someone like you." It was a maddening reply, and he knew it.

Ree resisted the urge to slap him- to whack him with the schoolbooks she was holding. But as she stepped forward, feeling another rant coming on, the boy turned away and said, "Fine. Have it your way then." Ree was surprised. Had she convinced him? _Already?_ That was a lot simpler than she had thought.

But then he continued, "I hope you do realise that you've just made things a lot more difficult for yourself..." And then Ree knew the real reason he had accepted. To make her regret this decision, and convince her that s_he _was the one who couldn't handle something like this. But she wasn't going to back down now- not when she had already gotten this far... _I'm going to prove him wrong, _she thought.

Then said Seto, "I had a feeling you weren't going to give up, so I already organised our first meeting." Ree was stunned. _Already organised...? _It was quite ridiculous.

"I have arranged to pick you up at 7:55pm sharp. You'd better be ready."

Incredulous, Ree asked, "Why 7:55?" Seto smirked.

"By what I have seen of your organisational skills today- or should I say, _lack of them_- I don't think you would be able to make it at 8:00pm," he laughed.

Ree glared at him. "Oh, I'll be ready," she stated.

"Good," Seto said shortly, "Then I'm looking forward to hear your ideas, _partner_." He said the last word, mockingly. Then he walked away, as if they had never had a conversation.

As he left Ree even more annoyed, frustrated, confused and determined, she wondered what she had actually gotten herself into. Then she wondered if he even knew where she lived. _Oh well, _she thought, satisfactorily._ That means I'll be ready. But will you? _This project was going to be tough. But it was going to be a battle she would win. He wanted ideas? She would give him a few!

* * *

7:35pm, Ree's House. She sighed, sitting gloomily on her bed, clothes sprawled everywhere in large piles. What did one wear to a meeting of this sort? She didn't want to be seen wearing her uniform again, but neither did she want to be judged on her fashion sense. Ree had tried on many things, but had thrown the ideas away for not being her style. This one, too corporate; that, too stuffy; another, too flashy... the list went on. In the end though, she came up with a solution- and just wore her favourite outfit; a simple purple shirtdress. After all, why should she care what he thought?

She liked purple, and she also liked pockets. (She found them really useful for holding things.) Her dress had many. In her upper pocket, she put in her MP3 player. After all, she had to be prepared to have something to do if Seto ignored her again. In her lower pockets, she put in her memo pad and pencil, plus her dueling deck, for the same reason. Then she tied the ribbons of her shoes criss-crossing around her ankles. Purple. Of course.

When Ree walked into the living room, she found her mother on the sofa, reading a magazine. She looked up as her daughter came in.

"Mum?" said Ree, "I'm going out tonight to do some homework at an acquaintance's house. Is that alright?" _Boy, that sounded odd._

Mira Zephyron gave her a funny look.

"Are sure you didn't mean _friend's _house?"

Ree shook her head firmly.

"No, we're not friends. We're just acquaintances."

"Male or female?"

"Male."

Mira raised an eyebrow. "I knew it."

Ree sighed, exasperated. "No, it's not like a date or anything, Mum- it's just that we're partners in this science project and we decided to get started early. Look, how long have I known him? Less than a couple of days?"

"Alright, if you say so..."

"MUM!"

"Yes, yes, you can go to this _meeting _of yours. But if he tries anything funny..."

"I'll punch him," said Ree, only to realise how silly it sounded. She could barely hurt anyone else apart from herself- being so naturally clumsy for a small girl.

Desperate to change the subject, now that she had her mother's permission, she asked, "By the way, Mum, what are you reading?"

Mira shrugged. "Oh, this and that," she replied.

"Sounds delightful," remarked Ree. She was ready to go now, so she might as well just read with her mother while she waited for her partner to arrive- no doubt, precisely on time. "Can I see?"

Her mother shuffled over to make room for her. Ree sat down in the small sofa and leaned over to see what article her mother was reading. The first article that she saw was headed, "GENIUS BOY CEO INVENTS NEW DUELING HOLOGRAPHIC TECHNOLOGY." Underneath the heading was a photograph of an unsmiling, tall teenage boy glaring out confidently at the world from under a side fringe with a pair of cold blue eyes that Ree had begun to know so well.

"That's him," she muttered to herself.

Her mother, upon hearing this, asked, "That's who, honey?"

Ree pulled a face. "Oh, you know, the project partner I've been talking about."

Mira chortled. "What, _Seto Kaiba_? Oh, I know you like jokes, Ree, but this one isn't one of your best."

"I wasn't joking."

Mira gave a stern gaze at her daughter. "Oh?" she said thoughtfully, "If you're not joking, then can you care to tell me what Seto Kaiba is doing in your science class?"

Ree looked down, suddenly guilty. "Yeah, um... I forgot to tell you, but- I was moved up to Advanced Science today... and... so this is what happened..."

"And you simply _forgot _this tiny, unimportant detail?"

"Um... yeah..."

Now it was her mother's turn to sigh. They seemed to be doing that a lot these days. "Oh, Ree..."

Ree looked away, fearing a lengthy lecture coming her way about parental-and-child communication. Oddly enough, it never came.

Instead, Mira said, "Knowing you, I figured you would choose a boy of intelligence... but Seto Kaiba? Well, I hope you two will be happy together."

One word. _What?_

_She's got to be kidding, _thought Ree. Protesting, she cried, "Mum! I told you- it's _not a date_! I'm just going over to his house to put some ideas together and work on a plan so we can do this project properly. Do you know how long it took me, just to convince him to let me even do _part _of this project?

'I don't even _like _him! He is the most ungrateful, inconsiderate, self-absorbed arrogant jerk I have ever met- and you think I want to go out with him? Not going to happen in _my _life!"

Ree's mother gave her a small smile. "If you say so," she said.

Ree groaned. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Well, Ree, yes- I do believe you. Money and power can do that a person. Plus intelligence... well, I can imagine, so I don't need convincing," replied Mira,

"However, I do think you're being a bit harsh on him... After all, everyone needs to be given a chance, haven't I told you this before?"

Ree frowned. "He doesn't deserve a chance."

"That may be true, but how do you know? A person can change. And besides, don't you think it's a little unfair that you've given everyone you've known one more chance, except for him? Don't give up, Ree- first impressions can be deceiving."

"Well, then, I hope you're right," Ree replied, absent-mindedly tieing and retieing her purple hair ribbons. "And it's not a date."

At this point, the doorbell rang. "Well, he must be here," said Ree to herself, not really willing to answer the door.

Mira took a glance out the window. "Oh my," she breathed, "is that a limo? You'd better get going then!"

Ree purposely took the longest route to the door. As she expected, the doorbell rang out a second time. As she reached the dreaded exit, her mother called out, "Have fun on your little date, honey!"

Her hand on the doorknob, Ree groaned. "And it's not-" she started, but then shrugged it off and opened the door. "Oh, forget it."

Outside, stood a man wearing a dull navy suit and black glasses. His face was expressionless, but when he spoke he sounded faintly bored.

"You're Miss Zephyron, am I correct?" Once Ree nodded, the man continued,

"Hurry now, we must leave- Mr. Kaiba has been waiting for you. He's a very busy man, and you'd do well not to displease him."

In her head, Ree scoffed. _Must be nice to be so important. This is certainly going to be fun..._

As she stepped out, she saw the boy himself, half-way getting out of the limo in his flowing white trenchcoat. When Ree approached, Seto looked up, as coolly as ever.

"Ah, Ree..." he said, "I'm surprised you're actually ready at all- I was expecting you to still be preparing... However, you're a minute late." Seto smirked.

"I knew I was right to call in early."

Ree didn't bother to look at him. Brushing past him, she muttered, "Whatever... let's just go already..." She stepped into the limo, choosing to sit furthest away from him. Seto nodded at the chaffeur, then sat back in his seat, crossing his legs and folding his arms like an imperial king. His face remained expressionless.

Then the doors slid shut and the limo drove off into the evening.


	7. Episode 07

**Episode 07:**

**Science Project- The First Meeting, Part 2**

The girl was quiet. Not that it mattered, anyway, thought Seto.

After all, he was used to the stunned silence of his pathetic, shunned opponents. And besides, he didn't feel like talking- not that he even did much of that.

But as he glanced at her sidelong, he reflected back on the day they first met, and wondered how such a small, weak, clumsy thing could possibly contain intelligence high enough to bring her to his advanced science class. It seemed like some kind of mistake.

Or maybe she had contacts in high places. But then, a piece of logic smashed his theory. Ree Zephyron- he had never heard of her before. An Internet scan on his laptop had revealed nothing. It was as if she was... _completely normal_. Just one in a few billion people in the world. Reads the newspapers, never in them. Ordinary.

And yet, she was moved up into _his_ science class.

Seto wondered if it was just by sheer luck that the girl had obtained a test score high enough to change classes.

Then he wondered if she was a lot smarter than she seemed.

And staring at her hair ribbons, her dress, and her shoes, he also wondered why she liked the colour purple so much...

He turned his attention to the front. _Smart or not, _thought Seto, _she's going to help me beta-test my new holographic projection device...

* * *

_

Ree was gazing out of the window. Reflected in the glass was Seto Kaiba, cold and untalkative as usual. Outside, she watched as the streets went past in motion blurs, the street lights glowing amber; lit across the dark roads like great beams of fire. However, the limo passed many streets, ending up somewhere out of the city. The road was deserted, but as they drove, hills and purposefully planted rows of bushes began to appear, and Ree realised that soon she was going to set eyes on her companion's private estate.

The hills and trees opened up to a lengthy, stone-paved driveway leading up to high gates of black trellis. Beyond them, Ree saw a large, marble-white house with many windows. Columns stretched up towards the sky, holding up the navy-coloured roof... Kaiba Mansion.

She had known what to expect, but still she struggled to mask her expression of awe. She had never seen a house so big! Well, on television, perhaps, but never like this... Ree tried to keep an expressionless face, but failed, miserably.

In the end, she maintained a expression of mild interest with relative success, and held in her urge to gaze about her in wonder.

The limo pulled up to the gates, where two men in suits stood guard. The chaffeur rolled down his window and one of the men walked toward the vehicle and peered in. Spotting his superior in the passenger seat he said, "Ah, Mr. Kaiba! Welcome back, Sir."

Seto merely gave the man a curt nod, who then stated, "Proceed," and the great gates swung inwards to admit them.

As the limo drove up the driveway and neared the colossal building, Ree suddenly felt overpowered, nervous. She started to feel very out-of-place with the whole situation. After all, she was the guest in this place. Who would have thought? Her family wasn't important, or even wealthy.

And yet, _she_ was invited to a meeting in such a place... What was her partner thinking?

How were you supposed to act? What was she supposed to say?

Could you blink and breathe only when you were told? Would she have to politely agree to everything said?

_Take a deep breath, _Ree told herself. _There's nothing to panic about... the only reason I'm here is to discuss ideas for the science project..._

At this point the black limousine had parked in front of the mansion, where an escort of suits had already lined the sides of the doors, waiting for their passengers to appear.

The door on Ree's side was opened by one of the men. "Right this way, Miss," he called, an arm flung out in direction of the colossal, white household. As she stepped out from the limo, Ree noticed that Seto was already striding up the polished steps of his home. She hurried along after him, not wanting to be left behind and lost. At the top of the steps, her partner gave a slight, indifferent glance as to whether she was following, and then together they entered through the large oak doors.

Ree gasped without thinking. The place's interior was absolutely stunning. From the marble floor, expanses of expensive decorative carpeting, the great white walls that led to the many rooms and a labyrinth of hallways, and adorned with beautiful and interesting paintings; to the ceiling itself- with intricately carved figures and creatures holding up crystal chandeliers- a sure sign of luxury.

Everything seemed clean and polished; even the doorknobs shone. _Too perfect, _thought Ree. It was as if someone had meticulously cleaned every speck of dirt and dust and had covered everything in a layer of Silvo.

After a few minutes gazing at all the sparkling finery, Ree realised that she had just lost her tour guide. She quickly scanned the place and found that he had was nowhere to be seen. Cursing herself for being so distracted easily, she began to walk further down into the main chamber of the building. It wouldn't be at all good if she managed to get lost here- there were simply too many places to go!

Finally, after walking past several rooms and through a hallway, she found herself in what seemed to be a dining room, if the 12-metre table wasn't anything to go by. Not knowing what else to do, or what else she _should _do, she pulled out one of the dining chairs from the table and sat down. Ree then took this chance to gaze at her surroundings. Not far from this chamber was a staircase leading upstairs, and past this one led to more hallways.

_Hmm, _she wondered, _perhaps if I should walk past here through to the hallways..._

Suddenly, the girl conjured up a vision of herself forever wandering an expensive maze of hallways and rooms, haunted by images of luxury, and doomed, never to find the exit... Ree shuddered, and mentally crossed that option out. Exaggeration though it may be, it was possible. After all, it is a _mansion _after all. If she was lucky, she could come across a maid or butler in a couple of days...

No- she would much rather prefer to resort to her alternative. And besides, after meandering aimlessly through the first level, she would eventually have to explore upstairs, anyway. So, thought Ree, stairs it is.

As she began to manoeuvre herself out of her seat, she heard something. Footsteps. The girl froze. From the head of the staircase, appeared a small figure. It was young boy, no more than perhaps ten or eleven, with long, dark hair, and blue-black eyes. He stopped at the sight of Ree, half-cautious, half-curious.

"Who are you," he demanded, "and what are you doing in my house?"

Ree was rather surprised to be reprimanded by a child, least of all state ownership over the building. She spoke gently- children were known to be walking timebombs; calm one minute and explosive the next.

"I'm Ree," she stated, "and... I'm Seto Kaiba's project partner.

'So... I suppose I'm a guest. Um, I think."

The little boy's eyes lit up. "Oh, so _you're _Seto's partner for that Science thing. He told me all about it. Kinda surprised you're a girl, though," he added.

"My name's Mokuba, by the way. I'm Seto Kaiba's younger brother." His voice was full of pride. Then his expression became confused.

"Wait a minute," he began, "If you came for the project thing... why are you down here and Seto's not with you? Are you lost?"

Ree blinked and smiled sheepishly. "It seems I lost him when we first walked in. Since I didn't know where he went, I decided that I had better keep walking and ended up here..."

Mokuba seemed eager to help. "Oh he'll probably be upstairs in his study. Here, I'll show you!" And with that, he bounded up the staircase in great energetic leaps. Ree followed, and was led past several more hallways through to a row of doors. _How can anyone remember the routes to this place? _She thought. _It's nothing but rooms and corridors!_

"His study is the eighth door to your left," said Mokuba, when they had stopped. Ree thanked him, but didn't bother to move.

"Well?" asked Mokuba. "What are you waiting for?"

Ree shifted nervously. "Well," she said. "I just have a feeling that your brother isn't going to be very happy when he sees me..." She didn't tell him that she was actually rather scared- no, _intimidated_ by his older brother. Especially since she had gotten lost...

"He's not as bad as everyone says he is, you know," said Mokuba quietly.

Ree was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"I know he acts really cold and mean to people, but Seto's not like that. He's actually a really nice guy." What Ree thought then was, _really nice guy, my foot._

Mokuba continued, "Ever since we escaped the orphanage, Seto's been looking after me. He's my brother, and the best friend in the world." He smiled.

"You guys... lived in an orphanage?"

"Yeah... I don't... really like to talk about it..."

"Sorry."

"It's okay... just... believe me, alright?" He looked determined. "Seto's nice!" Then all of a sudden, his expression clouded. "But since then, he hasn't smiled much..."

But he brightened as quickly as his face had saddened. "So, anyway," the boy said imperiously, as if they were still continuing with their previous topic, "I hope your science thingy goes well. And if you need anything, call at my office; it's the second door next to Seto's! See ya, Ree!"

Then Mokuba scampered nimbly away, and Ree shouted another thank you after him. After she was left standing alone, she began to make her way down to the eighth door to her left. As she did so, two thoughts ran through her mind.

The first, was: _So Seto had a rough childhood. I guess if I was him I would be pretty cold towards the world, too. _The second, was: _Mokuba has an _office_?_

And then she was at the door. Ree sighed, knocked twice, and upon hearing no answer- she turned the doorknob and walked in.

* * *

She was instantly hit by a sea of white. Everything in the room seemed to be that colour- aside from the computers and chairs, which were silver, and Ree herself, of course. The room was minimalist, simplistic, and modern, with soft fluorescent lighting. Ree took a quick glance round and spotted Kaiba's brunette mop protruding from a chair parked in front of the centremost, and largest computer. On the desks and screens surrounding him were displays of complicated equations, bits of research material, and desktop simulations of what appeared to be Duel Monster duels. The centre computer displayed a complex series of codes and computer jargon- it was evident he was programming something.

Kaiba did not bother to turn and look who had come in. After all, she was reflected in the glass of his LCD computer screen.

"So, Ree," he said, typing. "You finally made it. Got lost, did you?"

"Actually, I decided to take the scenic route."

Ree thought there was a ghost of a smile in his computer screen reflection. "I'm guessing you missed the elevator when you walked in."

_Elevator? What elevator? _"I prefer the stairs," Ree replied, ignoring the question.

"Oh, so you saw it then?"

"Well, actually... no," she stated truthfully. "Obviously, I got lost."

"Hmmm, I'm surprised you even found the way to my study."

"I had help. Your brother, in fact," said Ree. "He's nice."

At this Seto merely hmphed, and then began to get into the crux of the situation.

"Now that you're here, let's get down to business, shall we?" He swivelled his chair around to face her, arms crossed. "I told you to bring ideas, so now, let's hear them."

He was staring at her so intently and expressionless Ree couldn't help feeling unnerved. She always felt nervous speaking to him face to face, and much preferred to speak to his reflection. Nevertheless, she fought to get her words out. "Ideas," she started. "Well... I was... I was thinking that, maybe we could..." Ree looked down at the floor and instantly felt better. She looked Kaiba in the eye and said, "I was thinking we could do some sort of visual presentation. You know, 3D models, graphics, that kind of stuff. Maybe we could somehow add a narration or text while the presentation plays... about the mechanics of forces and such..." She was losing her confidence, and Seto remained expressionless.

"That was what I was thinking," she finished quickly, and looked away for a few seconds in anxiety. Seto did not speak or react for a while- Ree almost preferred it if he insulted her. Almost... but then again, not really.

When he did speak, however, it surprised her. "Very well, then. Let's go along with this plan of yours. I'll be making adjustments, of course, but nothing too serious." Ree blinked. This was the second time he had simply agreed to her statements. He was definitely up to something, that's for sure... but she didn't know what.

This was answered soon enough, and brought Ree to the reason she was here in the first place. From a drawer under his desk, Kaiba produced a small metal object shaped like a disc. It was painted white, with red and blue detailing.

"Catch!" he said, before Ree could react. The disk spun towards her in the air in a straight line. When it came closer, she noticed that the disc had not lost any altitude and was still going the exact direction when it was released. She caught it, barely. She had never been good at sports.

_What is it? _Ree thought as she held the object in her hands. "A UFO?" she accidentally said aloud.

"Not quite," said Seto. "There should be a blue manual start switch underneath it. Flick it on."

Ree obeyed, and was surprised to see a three-dimensional model of the Kaiba Corp insignia floating in the air in front of her. It quickly changed to a rather realistic simulation of a living, breathing Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It roared at her, and blasted realistic balls of fire. Had it been bigger, Ree may have dropped the disc in shock. Gingerly, she tried to touch it. Her fingers went through the projection without so much as a flicker in pixels.

"A hologram," she noted. "without the technical flaws." Ree was rather impressed, though she hid it.

"Indeed," replied Seto, "it's a holographic disk projector. My company has been working on virtual reality software for months- "

"I know," said Ree automatically. When Seto raised an eyebrow, she said quickly,

"I read an article about it in the paper. Word gets round when you're famous, right?"

Seto dismissed the statement and continued. "And so," he said, "this leads me to my suggestion to our little project." He then unfolded his arms, rested his elbows on the arms of his chair, and rested his chin on his clasped hands.

"How about beta-testing Kaiba Corp's latest holographic breakthrough on our Science project?"

Ree then realised how calculative he was. He had planned for this all along! And what better excuse to test his technology than the school science project?

"You schemed this all along, didn't you?" Ree accused.

Seto shrugged. "I didn't think it would be like this, but since Kaiba Corp needed a test-subject, and the science project was assigned this week... it's logical, isn't it? Of course, originally, you weren't a part of this plan... but I decided it would be more useful to keep you as my partner."

Ree glared at him, but then remembered something. "How..." she began. "How did you know I was going to set up an idea compatible with holographic technology? I mean... I could have said to do a physical demonstration or something... and besides, I could have asked for a solo project..."

Seto reclined in his chair, closed his eyes, and smirked. "Quite simply," he replied.

"It was a risk," he admitted, "but it was one I had to take. You may not think I noticed, but I was well aware of the commotion you caused with Mr. Maneco with your drawings. Guessing you were mainly a visual learner, I hypothesised that you would pick a visual presentation style for our assignment- perfect for adapting to Kaiba Corp's current project.

'And in answer to your other question, I knew you wouldn't back down from the partnered project, since, as a newcomer, you would most likely keep to your place. Besides, you would need help.

Basically, you require my help, and I require yours. It's a fair exchange, isn't it?"

Ree wasn't entirely convinced. "Just... like that?" she asked, uncertain. "I help you, you help me- and that's it?"

"Well, you do get a good grade, of course-"

"No, that's not what I meant," said Ree, shaking her head. "Since you've stringed me along this far... I'm pretty certain you get a lot more out of this than you're telling me."

Seto looked surprised. "Well, in a way, yes," he agreed. "I get to have a finished demonstration of the power of my company's virtual technology... outside advertisement to the public of what's to come- a preview, if you like. A way of creating unofficial demand before the real model comes out."

He leaned forward. "And also," he said quietly, "I get your full-sworn secrecy."

Ree instantly became confused. She frowned, the expression blatantly obvious on her face. "Secrecy?"

"Kaiba Corp's current project is top-secret," explained Seto. "I can't have you exploiting the mechanisms of my work to my competitors, can I? Therefore I need a way to ensure your word on secrecy." Then he added, "So what can I tempt you with? Gold?"

Ree was rather offended. "Well unlike some people, Seto," she said, "I can keep secrets without the use of bribes."

"And I just have to take your word on it?"

"You just have to take my word on it."

Seto paused for a bit, as if he hadn't expected this. "Are you sure you don't want anything?" he asked, incredulous.

"I don't need to be... to be _blackmailed_, Seto!"

Kaiba refolded his arms. "Hmph, fine then," said he, staring at her thoughtfully.

Then he swung his chair back around to face his computer. "I think that's enough for today," he announced, typing. "We shall have another meeting here, same time tomorrow. But next time, I would expect you to bring exact plans of design. We'll be integrating aspects of the holographic technology into it."

Ree nodded in understandment, though she wasn't sure he was looking. As she made her way out of the room, Seto added, "I hope you know your way out."

He stopped typing. "Oh, and Ree?"

"Yeah?"

"Try not to get lost."

As Ree closed the door outside the study, she swore he was laughing.


	8. Episode 08

**Episode 08:**

**The Second Meeting- Holographic Projectors and Card Games**

The next day, (as Ree had actually managed to make it out of the Kaiba mansion without Mokuba's help before the next day), almost everyone was wanting to know how the meeting went and was pressing her for answers- and unfortunately, not all at the same time.

"So..." asked Joey, who was the fifth and (hopefully) final person to ask- "How'd it go?"

Ree sighed, for the fifth time that day, and answered, for the fifth time, like all the rest of her answers.

"It was interesting."

"And by interesting, you mean..."

"It was... sort of unexpected. As in, it wasn't the greatest experience but nor was it the worst..."

"So... you mean..." Joey grinned. "...that Kaiba was a right old jerk and you guys got nothing done- I knew it!"

"Mmm..." replied Ree thoughtfully, "not exactly... I mean, yes, he is a jerk, but we actually got the project planned out... and funnily enough, we've got another meeting tonight and I'm supposed to have drawn up designs."

Joey blinked in surprise. "Just like that, huh? I guess _you _can get along with anyone..."

Ree coughed. "Trust me, it's more like I can _tolerate _anyone... and besides, it's kind of hard to _get along _with anyone who prefers being cold and distant..."

Suddenly, she felt quite maddened. "And would you know what," she said angrily, "He tried to bribe me to be quiet about some secret project his company is working on. _Bribe _me! Just because he has some cash to flaunt things in his favour... Doesn't he realise that not everyone are blackmailing, conniving cheats? Ugh, the nerve!"

And with that, Ree walked off, leaving Joey puzzled, head brimming of confused thoughts.

The odd thing, she thought, was that in spite of his fancy wording and phrases, Seto didn't _really _need her. After all, like Mr. Maneco had said- he was far capable of completing the project on his own... Ree knew that with his power and influence it would have been easy to sway things into a solo project. Yet he didn't. Why? After thinking about it, she thought it could be possible that he was just trying to get her to owe him, so he could have a player in the game to fall back on for later. There was that blackmail thing, after all. But it still led to a question: Why her? If he had deemed her untrustworthy in the first place, why had he told her about his company's project? It made no sense.

Maybe it was because she was female, thought Ree. She had read somewhere that females were easier to trust than males, which might explain why he had told her. But then again... he _had _planned and predicted correctly each outcome so far... Ree wondered just how much Seto had studied human psychology...

Then she sighed. _Or maybe, _she thought, _I'm reading a little too much into this... How much have __**I**__ studied human psychology? _She shook her head. She didn't need to think about these things right now. Look to the present certainties, not the past possibilities... Ree closed her eyes, cleared her thoughts, then entered her next class.

* * *

They had Physical Education that afternoon. It was one of Ree's favourite classes; though not because of the physical bit, nor because she was good at it. In fact- it was fair to say it was quite the opposite... Ree had gotten hit by so many different kinds of balls in the head that she was surprised she still had any braincells left. No- what she enjoyed about it was that while everyone flashed their competitive side and started to aggressively destroy each other by unleashing the day's frustration, Ree would stand in a corner, space out and spend the entire game daydreaming. Today was a game of dodgeball. Needless to say, when the class was split into two teams, naturally, Ree volunteered to sub. Sadly, the two teams were perfectly equal, and therefore, had no need for substitutes. So Ree was put out into the front line, in direct view where the other team were ready to launch their balls at her any second.

Then, the whistle was blown, and the game began. Reluctant to play, Ree tried to zone out and daydream as usual. However, it became evident that it was quite impossible with balls whizzing past her at 100kph, and having to dodge the odd one every three seconds. After the hundredth time of nearly being hit, she noticed that it was getting harder and harder to actually _not _play the game. Team members were slowly declining, leaving the best.

"Are you even trying?" exclaimed Joey reflecting a ball back from him. Joey, who was on her team, had saved her from being hit several times that period... and all times, when Ree had lost concentration for a split second. After all, she wasn't a very physical person.

"Well... no, actually," she admitted.

"Then you better start trying. Otherwise, we'll have no more players left- Oof!" warned Tristan, who was also on her team, before he was pelted by a ball.

"Oh, and by the way," he added before standing in the sidelines, "How did it go?"

Ree didn't bother to answer him. "Ask Joey," she sighed.

"Ree! Ball INCOMING!" Ree turned in surprise, but couldn't see anything coming towards her. "Huh? I don't see any-" At this point a ball hurtled down from the heavens, and hit her square in the chest. "Ouch," she muttered, holding the ball. "You mean this?"

Joey groaned. "Yeah. That's the one," he muttered, as she joined Tristan in the sidelines.

Several minutes later, it was apparent that Ree's team was winning. Well actually, _winning _wasn't the right word, but the team wasn't losing either. Funnily enough, Joey was the only person left on her team, and was single-handedly disarming the other team by withholding their balls on his side. When he had almost every ball on his side, the gym became a blizzard of bright orange spheres as he began blitzing the other team with them. Amazingly, the opposition team's members began to drop one by one, until it was one-on-one.

Really, it was a mis-match, seeing Joey had more balls on his side, but that didn't stop him having a glint in his eye and a little mischievious chuckle to himself in glee. "Alright," he cried, "It's Go Time!" And at that, he launched so many balls at once that Ree couldn't help but feel for his poor opponent. Hmm, It was obvious who won.

After class, it was all Joey would talk about. "Who's the Ball King?" he shouted.

"You're the Ball King," chorused Ree and Tristan boredly in unison.

"So who's the Ball King?"

"Joey's the Ball King."

_Oh boy, P.E. sure cleared out __**his **__head, _thought Ree.

Not wanting another repeat of this conversation, Ree walked quickly away, using her next class as an excuse. However, the lesson did clear her thoughts after all, and she felt more relaxed than she had all day. _Hmmm, maybe I should attempt P.E. more often, _she thought. _Or not._

Along the way to her locker, she met a very dazed looking Bakura standing there as if he had emptied everything he had, including his thoughts.

"Bakura?" Ree asked her friend, waving an arm in front of him. "Hey, stop spacing out in the middle of school or you'll get caught!" She teased.

Bakura made no motion for a few seconds, then blinked and was startled to why he was at school in the first place, like a computer crashing and rebooting.

"What? Where am I? Are we still at school?" He asked, bewildered.

Ree gave him an odd look. "Of course we're still at school, where did you think we were?"

She swore there was a small, golden flash of light from somewhere, and then it was like she was talking to a completely different person.

Bakura gave her a secret, malevolent smile (Ree was given the impression of fangs) and replied, "Ah, nowhere, of course. But we better get going, should we not? It won't do any good if we turned up to class late, will it now...?"

Ree nodded, feeling strange. Bakura then smiled that odd smile again.

"See you in class," he said, walking off.

The girl shivered. _Peculiar, _she thought. _Perhaps that confrontation needs to come sooner than she thought...

* * *

_

All of Ree's other classes occurred in uneventful blurs. Science was spent in silence, as usual, with the nerds preparing projects with the use of electronic equipment, while Ree wrote up ideas and drew up plans- and History was filled with non-stop essay writing. In Mathematics... What did she do in Mathematics? She couldn't remember- her mind was filled with other things.

Ree was so concentrated on creating the designs of the science project that she absent-mindedly walked into several objects, including various people, poles and even her science partner.

"Hmph," growled Seto Kaiba, irritably. "7:55pm, with designs. Remember."

And then he strided off in an annoyed manner.

Later that evening, Ree was taking a quick nap. She had been planning and designing all afternoon (Her hands were quite sore from drawing, colour-coding, annotating and measuring- even more so when her right hand was not quite healed yet) and she was quite worn out. The plans lay on top of her like a blanket, under which Ree slept peacefully. So little wonder, when she woke up Ree felt a little too serene, as if she was missing something. Gazing dreamily around her, she stretched, yawned, and then relaxed- until she set eyes on her clock. The glass face of her clock stared back impassively, completely unperturbed to the time it displayed. "8:05pm." Oh gods, she was ten minutes late! Ree sprang up from her bed as if it was fire, and rushed to prepare herself. Kaiba was sure to murder her, she thought miserably. I have no retorts to cover this!

The girl gathered up her designs and raced down frantically... only to find a bemused looking Seto Kaiba lounging comfortably in her living room, drinking a cup of coffee. _Am I missing something here?_

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Took you long enough," he said, with a hint of steel.

Ree blinked. "W-what are you doing in my house? And where's my mother?"

Seto set his mug down, and laced his hands together. "She's in town at the moment. I met her when I was just about to knock. She said to let myself in, and so I did."

"I see."

The boy stood up, and said, "Come now, we've waited long enough. I trust you had a good nap?" He nodded at Ree. "Because you will need it. We're late now, but if we leave immediately, you might make it home before eleven."

With that, he left, with a unenthusiastic Ree trailing behind him.

_Why me, _she sighed inwardly. _Why is it always me?

* * *

_

The girl had made them late, and Seto was not pleased. Perhaps he had overestimated her stamina in doing this project- he certainly wasn't expecting her to fall asleep. However, he was rather impressed with her willpower, determination and diligence. She had drawn up the complete plans in full colour in less than five hours- far quicker than any of his hired men... who at least needed a couple of days. Hmm, he thought. I may have to rethink their salaries.

And now, they sat in the limo in silence.

Ree was still tired, and she kept falling in and out of sleep as she tried to feign interest gazing at the happenings outside her window. _Stupid Seto, _she thought dreamily. _Making me draw up all of the designs by today... _Then she decided to lay her head against the window. It's just for a bit, she told herself. Just until I regain my strength a bit better...

Somehow, Ree managed to stay awake throughout the whole trip, and when they arrived, she followed Seto through the mansion to his study in a dull, semi-conscious dream. She was vaguely aware when he told her to sit down. There was an extra chair this time, and Ree almost missed this fact. In fact, she had already missed something else. Kaiba had said something.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" said Ree, mentally trying to wake herself up.

The boy had the same impassive face as he always did.

"I said, 'Wait here.' "

"Oh, um... Where are you going?"

Seto didn't answer, but chose at this point to leave.

When he had gone, Ree decided to look around her. The room looked like it did yesterday, except for the fact that desks were cleared of clutter. She blinked, and felt less tired. She noticed now that the computers were displaying grids of some kind. They looked somehow familiar. One half of the grid was coloured blue, and the other red, with the word "VS" spelt out underneath. Looking closer, she saw that each half was divided into many zones. _Ah, _she thought to herself. _It's a dueling field. Seto is quite dedicated to the game... but I suppose you'd have to be if you're CEO of a top-level game company._

She looked at her watch. When did he leave? Five minutes ago? It can't be too long ago. Ree wondered what was taking her companion so long to do whatever he was doing. Well, while I'm waiting, I might as well just find something to occupy myself with, thought Ree, and brought out her dueling deck.

* * *

Today was a big mistake. This was the only sentence in Seto Kaiba's head at this present moment. Not only had Ree been late to wake from her slumber, she had therefore made him late also. If it was one thing he hated, he hated non-punctuality. Time was money, and he hated wasting it unnecessarily. To make matters worse, Ree was still tired, which made her unfit to work on the project. Seto cursed himself for setting too high an expectation on this girl, after all she _was _new. She couldn't possibly be expected to create the amount of work he asked in a day without at least using up all her strength.

He was suddenly reminded of the times Gozaburo used to discipline him through impossible amounts of study. He had survived, of course, by his quick wits and his neverending plotting... but that hadn't stopped him from collapsing in exhaustion either. Perhaps he _had _been putting too much on his new science partner and she probably deserved a break. But was _this_- He looked down at the mug he was holding- necessary? But now that he had made it, he had no choice but to go through with it. Besides, he didn't exactly want Ree to collapse, so... Hmm... this girl ended up needing more looking after than Mokuba! How troublesome. Maybe he should hire a housemaid, after all. Then slowly, he ascended the stairs to the corridor.

When he opened the door to his study, Seto was surprised to find Ree sitting cross-legged on the floor, arranging what looked like Duel Monster cards into columns and stacks. Suddenly he wanted to ask many questions... but decided to voice only one of them.

"What are you doing?"

Ree was so immersed in her little puzzle that she didn't notice Seto at the doorway. She flipped cards over expertly, and moved them into columns or swapped rows. _Hmm... I hope I didn't use up all the four-stars... _she thought, in deep concentration. Then she heard a voice. "What are you doing?"

Startled, Ree turned and saw Seto at the door holding a steaming mug.

"Oh I... I got a bit bored waiting for you to return, so I decided to play a game I invented. It's called 'Duel Monsters Solitaire'. Unoriginal name, yes, but you see my point." She gestured at the cards. "It's just like solitaire, except that instead of stacking columns with a run of numbers, you stack with the number of like level of stars. Five cards in a column makes a complete stack, magic cards can be any level, and trap cards make you lose the top card of a column," explained Ree cheerfully. Then before she thought about what she was saying, she automatically asked, "Do you want to play?" _Moron. Of course he doesn't._

Seto certainly looked interested, but he declined politely. They did come here for a purpose, after all.

"Here, I brought you coffee," said the boy, setting the mug down beside her.

Ree was surprised. _Perhaps Mokuba was right. He's a nice guy after all._ "Oh... thank you... but I don't feel tired anymore."

Seto huffed, and suddenly became distant. "You'd better drink it for your sake. It's your fault that we'll be working late into the night. I didn't make it out of kindness you know," he said coolly. _Hmm, never mind then, _thought Ree, sipping her coffee cautiously.

Then another thought struck her. "You made it?"

Seto made his way to his chair, sat down, then crossed his arms.

"Got a problem with that?"

Ree shook her head. "No," she said quickly, "It's just that... I would have expected that you'd have someone bring it up for you. I'm was surprised, that's all." There was a sudden intense silence. _Oh my... Did I say something wrong?_

After a lengthy pause, Seto looked away and said, "Besides the security men and technicians, Mokuba and I have always lived alone. I do everything myself."

"It must be awfully lonely," remarked Ree.

Seto turned his head so sharply that she was afraid it would break.

"We have all we need here," he snapped. "And besides, you can't trust anyone else to do things properly but yourself."

It was obvious Ree had touched on fine matters. "S-Sorry..." she muttered, regretting even opening her mouth.

There was another silence. Then Seto swivelled his chair to face his computer.

"You brought the plans, yes? After all, this is the reason why we're here," he said, even colder than usual.

"Oh... O-of course," stammered Ree, and set her mug down. _Why do I feel like I keep falling in and out of his good books? _She pulled out the rolled-up A2's and unravelled them.

"Well, um..." started Ree, not knowing how to begin. "Since your holographic projector is red, white and blue, I decided to use these colours in the design." She gestured at the diagram.

"Um... so I take it that it's a prototype?" asked Ree. Seto nodded.

"Is it the only one?" the girl continued.

"Yes," replied Seto, not knowing where this was leading them. "So far, anyway."

"So... I guess we're using that prototype for our science project?"

"No," said Seto shortly, "We'll be building one from scratch. After all, you're the one who said to do things 50/50."

"I see..." Ree clasped her hands together. _Be careful what you wish for, _thought Ree glumly. "How large a hologram can it project?"

"About five to six metres at the moment, depending on the strength of current it can stabilise, and the closeness of the projector's computer... and may I ask, what is the point of all these questions?"

"I'm getting to that," Ree replied, adding, "so the projector's computer is separate from the actual projector, right? Meaning that they connect with each other by the use of frequencies and signals?"

"Right. However, like I said, the further away the projector from the computer, the smaller the actual hologram- at five and a half metres, the hologram would only be the size of a small elephant, and not even an Indian at that."

Ree nodded. "I was guessing this would be the case, so I was thinking... that maybe..." She brought out another diagram. "...we could boost the projection more...?" Seto's eyes widened.

"Ah, I see," said he, eyeing the diagram. "You're talking about amplifiers."

Then he shifted his attention to Ree. "Clever, but... I doubt you actually know how to make these in junction with Kaiba Corp's technology. How are you expecting to create these?"

Ree shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I don't, and... Well, you did tell me to bring _plans _and _designs_- and I just like the design aspect of things," she admitted.

Seto smirked. "Hm. As I expected."

Ree glared and crossed her arms. "Well, Seto Kaiba, you can't expect everyone to be a natural-born genius like you, can we? Perhaps you should have made yourself clearer and told me to incorporate construction in the plans."

Seto met her glare coolly. "And maybe I should have.

'Genius? I'm rather flattered, actually. And since you have no idea on how to make a holographic projector- let alone amplifiers, it's time you learnt from one." Ree blinked. "You're _teaching _me?"

Seto chortled, and his blue eyes flashed. "Well, it's not as if you'll learn how to make holographic projectors at school, is it? And besides, if you don't contribute in half the planning, design and construction, it wouldn't be '50/50', would it? Your words, not mine."

He was right. Of course he was. "Alright, then," said Ree. "I'm ready to learn, Sir." Seto raised his eyebrow, but chose to ignore her last remark. "Good," he said. "We'll be heading to my workshop. Follow close, because I'm not going to bother finding you." Then, as he began to walk out the door, Ree behind, he stopped, and said, "...and you better bring that coffee."

* * *

The workshop turned out to be a large, grey room filled with various machines and electronic equipment set out on tables. Seto flicked on the lights, and then they entered. "Ooh, it's quite cold in here," Ree muttered to herself, rubbing her arms. Seto heard her and replied, indifferent, "It is, but you get used to it."

He walked around the room, with an unsure Ree following- gathering odd-shaped parts and then walked to an empty table. "Here, I will show you how to make a basic holographic projector," he said. He assembled the various pieces into a skeletory machine, and flicked a switch as Ree watched. A fuzzy, distorted picture appeared. It wasn't very good, but it was a hologram, no less. Seto flicked the machine off, and disassembled it. "Now, it's your turn," he said.

Her first attempt caused sparks to fly, and not in the good way. It wasn't long after, that the whole thing exploded in a miniature mushroom cloud. Seto was evidently not happy. "I told you to copy me, not create World War III. Try again." Ree sighed. "Sorry." Her next attempt wasn't much better, nor her several attempts after that.

Seto slapped his forehead. "You overloaded the circuit again. What do I keep telling you? Make sure you put in the resistors correctly!"

"I'm trying," cried Ree, getting frustrated.

"Well, try harder!" growled Seto, who was even more frustrated. "I don't even know why you're in my science class."

"Neither do I," Ree replied, attempting the machine again.

It was a good several hundred attempts before she could create a basic projector without it smoking or going up in flames. In her latest attempt, she had the whole machine constructed, parts and all, and so far, it was good. It seemed stable, and didn't look like it was going to explode any time soon. When it was complete, Ree went to turn on the switch, but became puzzled when she couldn't find it. After a moment, she sweatdropped. She had forgotten to put it in! Ree didn't want to know what Seto's face looked like at that moment. She disassembled the entire thing and started over again.

When Ree finally made a reasonably good holographic projector that didn't explode, smoke, had a working switch and displayed a stable hologram, did she look up at Seto to see his reaction. She was surprised to see her companion trying to cover up an expression she had never seen before- he was grinning.

"What's so funny?" Ree asked, suspicious. Seto didn't bother hiding his laughter.

"I have to say, in the category of the most accident-prone, you're worse than Mokuba!"

"Hmph," Ree huffed.

"Mmm," said Seto thoughtfully, turning his back on her, "You did alright... for a klutz." _Was that a compliment? _thought Ree. Then she looked at her watch. It was 10:30pm.

"We're almost finished for today," Seto announced, as if reading her thoughts. "There's just one more thing to do." There was a rather calculative look in his eye. He brought out a deck of cards from his pocket. "Ree, you do duel, right?"

Ree was incredulous. "I doubt this has something to do with our science project."

"You're right," replied Seto. "It doesn't. But I wanted to test out the capacities of the holograph projector so far- for the company, of course, and what better than an actual duel? And besides, I'm curious about your deck," he finished, surveying the girl closely.

Ree was not so easily fooled. _I bet you anything that he just wants to add one more person to his list of defeated, as proof of being master of this game... and using the projector is just a bonus._

"Why bother?" asked Ree, "After all, it's obvious that you'll probably win."

Kaiba smirked. "Surely, you're not backing out?" Ree didn't rise to the bait. She had always been immune to the dares in primary school. After all, hot-headness never got you anywhere.

"Well, if it's a game of strategy, I'm sure you've already mastered it. I'm betting you've never lost in a game of chess?"

"Hmm, fair point." Then Seto closed his eyes and said cockily, "So I guess that means you're admitting that it's impossible to win against me, right?"

Ree frowned. "I didn't say that. I just said that you'd have a much better chance of winning, that's all- I didn't say I couldn't win."

"Oh? So you think there's a chance you can beat me?"

"Well, yes. I just meant that it's a 75% likelihood of you winning."

The boy smirked. "Only 75%?"

"That's right."

"You have no idea what you're up against."

"Actually, I do." Ree had occasionally followed his matches in the media and read enough to know his dueling style. It wasn't hard to find out, since the teenage CEO was probably bombarded by paparazzi daily.

"Well, then," said Seto, folding his arms. "How can you be so sure?"

"I'm not. It's just an estimate."

"Care to prove it?"

"Not really, since a basic estimate doesn't have to be backed up by complete facts."

"Hm. Then care enough to find out?" When Ree didn't answer, Seto said,

"How about an incentive?"

The girl wanted to groan out loud. She had never met someone quite this stubborn and determined to duel. "I told you, Seto," she replied, "Gold doesn't tempt me."

Her companion just smirked. "Oh, not gold. If you win, you get to choose when to hold our next meetings, including dates, and times. You can even choose days off. How about it?"

_That certainly would be useful, _thought Ree wistfully, who was feeling tiredness beginning to overcome her.

"And if you win?"

Seto shrugged. "We shall have our meetings, every day, including weekends- the same time; from eight to eleven, starting from today." This seemed a little extreme, and a bit unfair, considering the terms. After all, it was obvious that Ree wouldn't change a thing, not liking to lead. So basically, that meant that both terms were almost exactly the same. When Ree voiced this to him, Seto said,

"Fine. I'll throw in a Blue-Eyes White Dragon if you win." Ree was amazed at the level of arrogance he had. _He's so sure he'll win, _thought Ree resentfully. _No wonder people dislike him. _She met his steely gaze with a level-headed one of her own. She wondered what would happen if she did in fact win. _Well, I did mean 75%, after all. No one, not even Seto Kaiba, is impossible to beat._

"Alright, Seto," she announced. "I accept your challenge."

Seto felt another smirk coming up. This was going to be fun.


	9. Episode 09

**Episode 09:**

**Just A Friendly Duel  
**

They stood at opposites sides of the room. Since Seto's excuse was to discover the limits of his company's holographic projector, they were using his personal dueling arena. (Ree was baffled that such a large chamber could go so unnoticed in the mansion) The projector in question was slotted into a machine, placed in the middle, as they would be sharing it, being the only model. A large LCD screen above them displayed their lifepoint counter, each set at 8000. There was a strange counter-like machine in front of each duelist, for the placement of cards- and Ree noticed that they were quite similar to those seen on the live broadcasts of Duelist Kingdom, several weeks ago.

Kaiba was looking quite smug as he stood in his side of the room, and Ree was rather tempted to hit him.

They shuffled their cards, crossed over, cut each other's decks and then stood back at their corresponding places.

"Ladies first," offered a very arrogant Seto, arms folded.

"As you wish," replied Ree, drawing her first card. She didn't have a brilliant hand, but she wasn't expecting one. It was, after all, how you play it that counts.

_Kaiba is known for a high-offensive deck,_ thought Ree. _So I'm betting he'll attack on his turn. _"Hm," she murmured, and set a card in the Spell/Trap zone. A large, face-down card appeared on the ground in front of her. "Interesting." She then set a monster, and then activated a spell card. "I use Ookazi," she called, and a holographic shower of small, flaming meteorites hit Kaiba, causing him to lose 800 lifepoints. He remained expressionless. 800 lifepoints was nothing.

"Now I activate 'The Final Countdown!'" Ree's LED display of lifepoints dropped to 6000. A strange, silver, circular-shaped machine descended from the ceiling and suspended in the air. A ring of what looked like old-fashioned torches surrounded the machine, cold and menacing. _Now this is certainly interesting, _thought Ree. "I end my turn," she finished, and one of the torches lit up with bright orange flame.

**Turn 1**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(1)] Scapegoat**

**[Field:(2)] Charcoal Inpachi, Enchanted Javelin**

**[Graveyard:(2)] Ookazi, The Final Countdown**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 6000**

Seto drew his card, then looked at the field in front of him. The grey contraption hovering above the duel was currently of no concern to him. If he was right, which he usually was, he wouldn't have to worry about it until much later- until the last of the torches lit up. If she could last that long, that is. Seto couldn't see this duel lasting more than a few turns. What a waste of 2000 lifepoints.

Looking at his opponent's field, he concluded that Ree's dueling style was defensive. After years of experience, he could easily tell the way someone played by their opening move. He eyed her face-down card. It was most likely a trap. "Hmm," he said, and placed his own trap. "I summon Spear Dragon, in attack mode!"

The turquoise dragon appeared in a flash of light in front of him, its long, spear-shaped beak poised for assault. "Attack her face-down monster." The hologram obliged, spread its wings and dived in a lightning-quick blur at its prey. But before the dragon could hit, his opponent activated a trap. As expected. Ree's side of the field glowed as a card appeared and revealed itself.

_Enchanted Javelin? How disappointing, _thought Seto boredly, as Ree's lifepoints rose. This girl probably relied on high defense and lifepoints.

Then there was a crash of pixels as Seto's dragon hit his target. The face-down card glowed, then displayed a holographic shield as it revealed itself. The attack was reflected- Seto lost lifepoints. _Hmm, Charcoal Inpachi, _mused Seto, as he watched the being of flaming and charred wood appear. _A pyro deck, perhaps? I was expecting fairies._

Spear Dragon automatically shifted to defense. _But when I summon my Blue-Eyes very soon... _he thought, craftily. _She'll need all the help she can get._

"I end," he said, looking at Ree piercingly. "Give up yet?"

"Not a chance," Ree answered flatly, as the second of the torches lit up.

**Turn 2**

**[Seto's Current Hand:(3)] Vorse Raider, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Premature Burial**

**[Field:(2)] Negate Attack, Spear Dragon**

**[Graveyard:(0)] N/A**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 7000**

She drew and glanced at the card. "Ooh, this will do," she said, and activated 'Pot of Greed'. Ree drew two more cards, set two in the Spell/Trap zone, then tributed Charcoal Inpachi for Dark Driceratops.

**Turn 3**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(0)] N/A**

**[Field:(3)] Scapegoat, Dark Driceratops, Trap Hole**

**[Graveyard:(4)] Ookazi, The Final Countdown, Enchanted Javelin, Pot of Greed**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 7900**

Seto raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think you were a dinosaur person," he remarked, gazing at the wild prehistoric beast.

"I'm not," replied Ree. "And besides, I don't think you're in a position to laugh."

Seto raised his hands in mock defeat. "Oh, you're right," he said with a smirk.

Ree ignored him. "Hmm," she murmured thoughtfully. _If I attack now, there's a chance I may activate a Trap. But if I don't, I'd be missing my chance to decrease his lifepoints and destroy a monster, which in turn lessens the chance of him summoning a more powerful monster. _Making up her decision, she decided to attack.

"Dark Driceratops, destroy his Spear Dragon!" The monster lunged forward and roared, its jaws wide, longing to rip apart its enemy. Then there was a flash of light from Kaiba's side of the field, stopping the dinosaur in its tracks.

"Negate Attack," said Seto calmly. "Nice try."

_Well, at least that card has resolved now, _thought Ree. _He won't be able to do that again._

"Your turn," she said, ending her turn. Another torch was lit.

Seto drew, and immediately activated the Spell Card, 'Graceful Charity'. Drawing three cards further, he discarded two in his hand. _Perfect timing, _he thought.

"I play 'White Dragon Ritual', sacrificing my Spear Dragon in order to summon my Paladin of White Dragon-" Seto was cut off by an immediate cry of, "Trap Hole!" A dark pit appeared and swallowed his Paladin whole.

"Mmm," said Seto, surveying Ree with his icy glare. "I play Premature Burial. As I was going to do, before you interrupted me, I summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Quake in fear for its power!" The field was engulfed in a blinding light as the enormous dragon took form. Silver-white scales adorned the creature, wings unfurled, its eyes like sapphires. It roared, a shrill, ferocious sound. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Kaiba's signatory monster. "I admit, really you should be facing two of them. But since you put a stop that, I guess I'll have to beat you with just one of them. Oh well," he said, cocky as always. "Besides, it's not as if you can beat a single one, anyway." Ree said nothing. Seto supposed she was speechless. After all, how could one not be when facing this creature? "Blue-Eyes, wipe out her Dark Driceratops. White Lightning Attack!" The dragon opened its jaws and unleashed a powerful jet of pure electrical energy, destroying her dinosaur completely in a explosion of broken pixels. It was hard to believe it was just a hologram. Ree put an arm in front of her and held her ground as an unbelievable gust of wind almost sent her backwards.

"What do you think of the technology, Ree? Almost too realistic, isn't it?" Seto was really in his arrogant mood at this moment. "Pity you won't last long enough to see all of it." Ree was annoyed, but still she said nothing. _Hurry up and finish your turn, you egotistical maniac._

It really seemed as if the smirk was plastered permanently on his face. Seto couldn't see how the girl would get out of this.

This duel had been no challenge so far, and it certainly wouldn't be any different in the next turn. He was confident.

"I end my turn." I have already won, Seto thought to himself, satisfied.

**Turn 4**

**[Seto's Current Hand:(1)] Crush Card Virus**

**[Field:(2)] Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Premature Burial**

**[Graveyard:(6)] Negate Attack, Spear Dragon, Graceful Charity, White Dragon Ritual, Vorse Raider, Paladin of White Dragon**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 6200**

Ree was in trouble. She was facing a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, one of the most powerful creatures in Duel Monsters. What was worse, however, was that she had no monsters on the field to defend her. She drew, hoping for a miracle.

Ree looked at the card. It was no lifesaver, certainly, but it could still prove useful in evening out Kaiba's lifepoints. She gazed at the field, and saw her set card from her last turn. Thank goodness she hadn't played it on her opening turn. And even better, Seto had not set any cards in the Spell/Trap zone. No Magic Jammer. Brilliant. "I activate Scapegoat," announced Ree. _This may save me a few turns, _she thought. Four cute and fluffy sheep-like creatures appeared in front of her.

Seto was not impressed. "You can't hide behind them forever, Ree. You're just waiting for me to destroy them."

"Hm, perhaps so," replied Ree unperturbed. "Now I play Meteor of Destruction!"

A large, flaming piece of space-rock descended from the heavens, a tail of magnificent red, gold and orange trailing behind. The meteor smashed into Kaiba with a flash of white light. _I hope that deflated that head of his, _thought Ree.

**Turn 5**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(0)] N/A**

**[Field:(4)] Scapegoat**

**[Graveyard:(7)] Ookazi, The Final Countdown, Enchanted Javelin, Pot of Greed, Trap Hole, Dark Driceratops, Meteor of Destruction**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 7300**

She then hoped she would last at least a few more turns to figure out a strategy to get out of this. Sure she had more lifepoints, but it was only temporary. That dragon of his will wipe her out in a number of turns. It was only a matter of time... _I guess he's not one of the greatest duelists in the world for nothing, _Ree thought. _But he's most likely the most arrogant. Look at him, gloating over there! _She ended her turn.

"Hmph," said Seto, as he drew his card. This could be useful, he thought, and set it. Lazily, he pointed randomly to one of Ree's sheep-tokens. "Blue-Eyes! Destroy that sheep-token!" The token disappeared in a shower of light.

"I end."

**Turn 6**

**[Seto's Current Hand:(1)] Crush Card Virus**

**[Field:(3)] Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Premature Burial (Equipped), The Flute of Summoning Dragon**

**[Graveyard:(6)] Negate Attack, Spear Dragon, Graceful Charity, White Dragon Ritual, Vorse Raider, Paladin of White Dragon**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 5200**

Ree drew. Hmm, she thought. There's no point in summoning a monster, since he'll just wipe it out. What else can I do? She sighed inwardly, and ended.

_Well, I did know what I was getting into when I accepted this duel... I just didn't realise how much and how quickly..._

**Turn 7**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(1)] Gemini Elf**

**[Field:(3)] Scapegoat**

**[Graveyard:(7)] Ookazi, The Final Countdown, Enchanted Javelin, Pot of Greed, Trap Hole, Dark Driceratops, Meteor of Destruction**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 7300**

Seto smiled arrogantly as he drew from his deck. He had the girl in a corner and there were few turns left until she had nothing to defend herself. But what fun would that be if he won so quickly? Perhaps he would toy with her for a while. After all, this duel didn't look like it would last much longer, anyway. He then ordered his dragon to attack.

"Blue-Eyes, destroy another token."

**Turn 8**

**[Seto's Current Hand:(2)] Crush Card Virus, Saggi the Dark Clown**

**[Field:(3)] Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Premature Burial (Equipped), The Flute of Summoning Dragon**

**[Graveyard:(6)] Negate Attack, Spear Dragon, Graceful Charity, White Dragon Ritual, Vorse Raider, Paladin of White Dragon**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 5200**

The token disintegrated at Ree's end, and the girl frowned. Seto ended his turn.

Ree was certainly in a grim position. _He will destroy my final sheep-tokens in his next few turns, and then he'll be free to wreak havoc on my lifepoints..._ Unless she drew some sort of Trap, or even a high-defense monster to defend her. She put her fingers on her deck and cautiously drew... then her heart sank. This certainly was of no help in defense. But still... At least it gave her a slightly better chance in surviving at least one more turn.

"I activate the Spell card 'Dian Keto the Cure Master'!" Ree announced, meeting her opponent's stare. Her side of the duelfield glowed, and her lifepoints were restored by 1000.

"That's it for my turn."

**Turn 9**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(1)] Gemini Elf**

**[Field:(2)] Scapegoat**

**[Graveyard:(8)] Dian Keto the Cure Master, Ookazi, The Final Countdown, Enchanted Javelin, Pot of Greed, Trap Hole, Dark Driceratops, Meteor of Destruction**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 8300**

Seto shrugged and drew. It didn't matter to him that Ree's lifepoints had increased- it only made it all the more entertaining to defeat her.

He ordered his Blue-Eyes to destroy a third sheep-token. Seto smirked.

"Had enough yet?"

**Turn 10**

**[Seto's Current Hand:(3)] Dragon's Rage, Crush Card Virus, Saggi the Dark Clown**

**[Field:(3)] Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Premature Burial (Equipped), The Flute of Summoning Dragon**

**[Graveyard:(6)] Negate Attack, Spear Dragon, Graceful Charity, White Dragon Ritual, Vorse Raider, Paladin of White Dragon**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 5200**

Ree stared back defiantly. "Not just yet," she replied.

She drew a card from her deck. _Just one token left... _Ree glanced at the card. Not much use in the current situation, but... perhaps... she could call a bluff? Ree set the card down slowly, all the while gazing into her opponent's eyes in fierce determination. "I end my turn..."

**Turn 11**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(1)] Gemini Elf**

**[Field:(2)] Scapegoat, Trap Jammer**

**[Graveyard:(8)] Dian Keto the Cure Master, Ookazi, The Final Countdown, Enchanted Javelin, Pot of Greed, Trap Hole, Dark Driceratops, Meteor of Destruction**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 8300**

Seto drew, smirked and set a card. But before he entered his battle phase, he hesitated a fraction when he saw Ree's facedown card... It was possibly a trap. But then he shook off his doubts and continued. Even if it was, it was better to activate it, and get rid of it.

Besides, he had always a backup plan. He hadn't summoned a monster yet, after all... "Now Blue-Eyes, destroy her final token!" he commanded. The dragon obeyed, and Ree's last line of defense was obliterated in white light, without conflict. He smiled at the girl smugly. "Don't worry, it'll all be over soon, Ree," said Seto in mocking reassurance. He ended his turn.

**Turn 12**

**[Seto's Current Hand:(4)] Polymerisation, Dragon's Rage, Crush Card Virus, Saggi the Dark Clown**

**[Field:(3)] Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Premature Burial (Equipped), The Flute of Summoning Dragon**

**[Graveyard:(6)] Negate Attack, Spear Dragon, Graceful Charity, White Dragon Ritual, Vorse Raider, Paladin of White Dragon**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 5200**

Ree cringed at his arrogance. It was rather distracting her concentration, and proceeded to increase her already high accumulation of annoyance of him.

This was quite perilous, as she really needed clear thinking to get out of her current position... She drew. And sighed. Mentally. Ree didn't want Seto to get an extra ego boost from her misery- it was large enough already.

Ree had drawn Guardian Angel Joan, her best, and favourite card. Unfortunately, thought Ree in frustration, I cannot summon her yet since I have nothing to tribute. _I might as well give up now... I'm as good as dead!_

"Your turn..."

**Turn 13**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(2)] Gemini Elf, Guardian Angel Joan**

**[Field:(1)] Trap Jammer**

**[Graveyard:(8)] Dian Keto the Cure Master, Ookazi, The Final Countdown, Enchanted Javelin, Pot of Greed, Trap Hole, Dark Driceratops, Meteor of Destruction**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 8300**

Seto smiled as he drew his second Blue-Eyes. He was enjoying himself a bit too much... but it was time to put a mark on Ree's lifepoints.

"Blue-Eyes," he ordered. "Direct assault!"

Lightning exploded at his opponent's side, blinding her in white. Ree remained standing as her lifepoints began to fall. They were almost even now.

"I end."

**Turn 14**

**[Seto's Current Hand:(5)] Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Polymerisation, Dragon's Rage, Crush Card Virus, Saggi the Dark Clown**

**[Field:(3)] Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Premature Burial (Equipped), The Flute of Summoning Dragon**

**[Graveyard:(6)] Negate Attack, Spear Dragon, Graceful Charity, White Dragon Ritual, Vorse Raider, Paladin of White Dragon**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 5200**

Ree sighed. The duel should have been over already... yet Seto was still toying with her. _Not that my extra turns are helping, _she thought annoyed. She drew, and brightened. _Perhaps this will help. _"I activate Graceful Charity!" announced Ree, drawing three more cards from her deck and discarding two. Yet still no lifepoint defense. It looked like she had no choice but to play something to defend against Kaiba's Blue-Eyes... She set her Gemini Elf, and the card she just drew. _This may help me if he instigates an attack._

It was all she could do.

Ree could only hope for the best. At this rate, there was no way for her to win...

**Turn 15**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(1)] Guardian Angel Joan**

**[Field:(3)] Gemini Elf, Trap Jammer, Mirror Force**

**[Graveyard:(11)] Magic Jammer, Block Attack, Graceful Charity, Dian Keto the Cure Master, Ookazi, The Final Countdown, Enchanted Javelin, Pot of Greed, Trap Hole, Dark Driceratops, Meteor of Destruction**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 5300**

Seto smiled. Ah, how fun. He was finally starting to whittle down Ree's lifepoints, and all the while amusing himself with set traps and strategies. Perhaps I should end the duel soon, thought Seto. After all, it was evident the girl wasn't going to get anywhere.

He drew. _Ah, perfect, _thought he._ Just the card I needed. This duel has gone on for far long enough- It is time to end this!_

And with that, he placed the card on the field. "I summon the Lord of Dragons!" A flash of light revealed the spellcaster monster, and Seto took the chance to glance at his opponent. Ree stood at the opposite side, face sombre and anxious. Still smiling, he saw a look in her eyes that spelled 'Oh no' all over, confirming his thoughts. She realised just what he was going to do.

He flipped over his facedown card, revealing The Flute of Summoning Dragon.

"I don't really have to explain how this works, do I?" enquired Seto cockily, his smirk turned to maximum. "Though I suppose it'd help prolong your inevitable defeat..." Ree glared at him from across the room.

"Yes, Seto Kaiba, I know full well how it works. Now you're able to summon up to two dragons from your hand."

"Precisely." Seto took one card from his hand and raised it in the air, the back towards his opponent. "And seeing how poorly you fare against one Blue-Eyes White Dragon, how about-" He flipped the card over. "-two?" Ree folded her arms. "Just make your move, Seto."

"Hmph, so impatient to lose, Ree? Alright, I'll make things easier for you then! I use the Flute of Summoning Dragon to summon my second Blue-Eyes!" The hologram Lord of Dragons began to play the flute, filling the room with eerie song. A bright flash began to emerge beside him on the field, expanding into another silver-white dragon. "Now! Attack her facedown card!" he exclaimed, knowing that no Trap nor Spell cards could affect his Blue-Eyes whilst Lord of D. was in play. White lightning destroyed Ree's card, revealing her Gemini Elf before the card burst into holographic fragments. Seto then ordered his two remaining monsters to attack her lifepoints, causing an incandescent light explosion on her side of the field. As Ree defended herself from the heat of the projection, Seto stated, "You'll be finished in my next turn."

The girl didn't doubt it, as she watched the last of the digits on her lifepoints counter stop spinning.

**Turn 16**

**[Seto's Current Hand:(4)] Polymerisation, Dragon's Rage, Crush Card Virus, Saggi the Dark Clown**

**[Field:(4)] Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Lord of D., Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Premature Burial (Equipped)**

**[Graveyard:(7)] The Flute of Summoning Dragon, Negate Attack, Spear Dragon, Graceful Charity, White Dragon Ritual, Vorse Raider, Paladin of White Dragon**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 5200**

Ree was incredulous. _Two Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Two? _Just how much trouble could she possibly get into? Apparently, a lot, she thought. _And it's an all uphill battle from here... Geez, Ree- it was rather brilliant of you to think of taking him on all by yourself, wasn't it? _Perhaps she should have tried to knock his ego down one step at a time, rather than one entire milestone... But never mind that now- she needed to solve her current predicament. She needed to prove to her opponent that she would not be beaten that easily. _Deep breaths, deep breaths..._

A quick assessment of the field showed that Seto's attack and defense were overwhelmingly strong, with the high offense of his two Blue-Eyes being backed up with his Lord of D., meaning that they were almost untouchable so long as the spellcaster was on the field. With Ree having only two Traps set, it seemed it was impossible to win. Seemed.

_However_, she thought, the loophole being that there was _nothing to protect Lord of D. itself... _it meant that once the monster was destroyed, her Traps would then be able to wreak their havoc. Therefore, concluded Ree, she would need to draw something, preferably a monster, to get rid of the Lord of D. first before she could even think about what to do with Seto's Blue-Eyes.

She drew. _Hmm, this should put a fair dent in his lifepoints too,_ she thought as she glanced at the card. "I summon Zombyra the Dark, in attack mode!" Seto shrugged. "Still nothing compared to my Blue-Eyes," he said. Ree smiled. "And of course not, which is why they are not my targets." She pointed to the field.

"Your Lord of Dragons is. Zombyra, attack!" The warrior sliced the card in two, the shockwave continuing past to meet the card's owner. Seto braced himself and merely grimaced as he felt something cut into him and his lifepoints. He raised an eyebrow. "You're still trying awfully hard for someone who knows she's going to lose..."

"Well winning was never really my intention, but I never said I was going to lose either. And besides," said Ree almost cheerfully. "I'm rather enjoying this."

**Turn 17**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(1)] Guardian Angel Joan**

**[Field:(3)] Zombyra the Dark, Trap Jammer, Mirror Force**

**[Graveyard:(12)] Gemini Elf, Magic Jammer, Block Attack, Graceful Charity, Dian Keto the Cure Master, Ookazi, The Final Countdown, Enchanted Javelin, Pot of Greed, Trap Hole, Dark Driceratops, Meteor of Destruction**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 1100**

He drew. This girl must have gone insane, thought Seto. Enjoying what? Losing? Though she had chipped his lifepoints, she still has his Blue-Eyes to contend with. And now, they were able to destroy her monster, which, for some reason, its attack had decreased- and the last of her lifepoints. It was crazy. There was no way she could win. Unless... he spied her two facedown cards._ Unless_ _of course, _realised Seto, _she was expecting a turnaround by the use of her Traps now my Lord of D. is gone...? _He was not so much a fool as to attack. In fact, he would need to find other means. Seto glanced at his hand and smirked. Actually, he could match Ree's move. Why should she be the only one luring an attack? He summoned Saggi the Dark Clown and placed a Trap of his own. Seto could only imagine the chaos this would bring if she attacked. Then he ended his turn.

**Turn 18**

**[Seto's Current Hand:(3)] Monster Reborn, Polymerisation, Dragon's Rage **

**[Field:(5)] Crush Card Virus, Saggi the Dark Clown, Blue- Eyes White Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Premature Burial (Equipped)**

**[Graveyard:(8)] Lord of D., The Flute of Summoning Dragon, Negate Attack, Spear Dragon, Graceful Charity, White Dragon Ritual, Vorse Raider, Paladin of White Dragon**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 4300**

She drew. Ree was surprised her opponent hadn't attacked on his turn. Was her strategy truly that obvious? But then again, she was facing Seto Kaiba, after all. He had probably seen almost every move in the game, being the CEO of a dueling company- and it wasn't surprising if what she had seen on his computer screen was practice duels. But what striked her odd was that he had left his Saggi the Dark Clown in attack mode. _Almost as if... he wanted her to attack? _He must have something planned. And it probably had something to do with his facedown card. Wait a minute- was he imitating her strategy to mock her? But if so, he hadn't counted on one thing... her facedown Trap. As a matter of fact, she thought looking at her hand, she could possibly win this! Then a small flicker of orange caught her eye and Ree glanced up.

No. She would win this, she was sure of it. The Final Countdown card she had played so many turns ago was still in play, and its circle of twenty torches was almost completely lit up. Once she had ended her turn, then only one turn would remain- Seto's. And once he ended it, she would automatically win. So all Ree needed to do was to stall for time...

"Zombyra! Attack his Saggi the Dark Clown!" As expected, Seto revealed a Trap. Ree saw that it was the dreaded Crush Card Virus, and gasped. She couldn't let it activate. "Trap Jammer!" she cried, revealing her facedown card and wiping Seto's smirk clean off his face. His monster disintegrated and he lost lifepoints.

Ree smiled, ending her turn and looked up to see the 19th torch light up in flame.

**Turn 19**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(2)] Yomi Ship, Guardian Angel Joan**

**[Field:(2)] Zombyra the Dark, Mirror Force**

**[Graveyard:(13)] Trap Jammer, Gemini Elf, Magic Jammer, Block Attack, Graceful Charity, Dian Keto the Cure Master, Ookazi, The Final Countdown, Enchanted Javelin, Pot of Greed, Trap Hole, Dark Driceratops, Meteor of Destruction**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 1100**

Seto noticed her look up and saw the disc-shaped machine still suspended in the air, with one torch remaining unlit- and realised what a fool he was for wasting valuable time by toying with his opponent. _I should have summoned another monster after I summoned my first Blue-Eyes, _he thought. _I would have wiped out her sheep tokens in half the time..._ And looking at the machine it meant that he had only one turn- _this turn_- to defeat her. Perhaps he hadn't taken Ree as seriously as he should have, because now, and he couldn't believe he was thinking this, she had placed him in a _serious position. _And perhaps Ree had noticed this as he lengthened out the process of depleting her lifepoints, and so now, it seemed the impossible had become possible...

Seto suddenly remembered the price he would have to pay if Ree won the duel. He was so confident when he placed his wager, and even more so when she had accepted... And he had promised her a _Blue-Eyes White Dragon. _He was sure she knew he was mocking her, knowing full well he hadn't meant it as he was certain to win. And Ree said herself that she had never really intended to win, so then what was her true motive? Seto glanced at her from across the room and narrowed his eyes. Ree was not looking at him, but instead staring quite intently at the duel field. She glanced up, and their eyes met for a brief second before she continued her assessment of the duel.

Then something stirred in his thoughts. _Perhaps she thought to challenge me? If she had in fact known I was not taking her seriously, she had taken well advantage of the fact and pinned me down. _Then Seto realised that Ree was possibly trying to prove something to him. But what? One thing was for sure. He would not let himself underestimate her again.

He couldn't attack until he was sure he had gotten rid of her facedown card, meaning that he needed to draw something to destroy it. Seto couldn't let Ree have his Blue-Eyes. He just couldn't. He wouldn't. A card of its stature and power- it meant too much for him to just give away. So this draw... was his final draw; and it would signify either his victory- or seal his defeat.

Yugi had always mentioned something about the 'Heart of the Cards'... but this philosophy meant nothing to Seto. He didn't believe in such ridiculous things. However what he did believe in was skill. And he needed all the skill he had to draw and play the right card he needed. Luck was a factor too, but that was always a risk... Seto placed two fingers on his deck- and drew.

He glanced at the card sidelong, then smirked. Perfect. Ree may have been close to actually beating him, but not close enough.

"I play Heavy Storm and destroy your facedown Trap!" announced Seto, his eyes flashing a vivid blue. He was not surprised to see that it was Mirror Force.

"I'm amazed you've even made it this far, Ree," he stated arrogantly. "But now, you're finished! Now my Blue-Eyes, obliterate her lifepoints!" The dragons opened their mouths with a roar and let loose beams of electrical energy, impacting on Ree's Zombyra the Dark before finally landing on Ree herself, engulfing the entire room in a blinding white light.

When it had faded, Ree didn't need to check her lifepoint counter to know that she had lost. _And what a duel it was... _she thought as she stepped down shakily from the dueling platform, releasing a sigh.

"So, Ree," said Seto stepping off his side of the field, "care to recalculate my percentage of winning?" He smirked. Ree folded her arms defiantly. "No," she replied. "It'll stay as is. I did almost beat you, after all."

"Almost isn't good enough. Second place never means as much as first." Then Seto tilted his head cockily. "And besides," he said, "you only got as far as you did because I let you. You wouldn't last five turns against me if I dueled you seriously."

Ree unfolded her arms. "Maybe so, but... I think it's the way you win that counts. And as I lasted 19 turns with you toying with me, perhaps I'd last 9 turns if you were serious... so... care for a rematch to test that?"

"Hmph," huffed Seto. "It'd be a waste of time for both you and me. After all, I'd still win, toying with you, or not... and I don't like wasting time."

"...So then, why did you duel me?"

"To test out the holographic projector. Why else?"

"Oh, I don't know..." _To enjoy thrashing another opponent, _thought Ree. "...You tell me."

The boy grinned. "Well, I suppose beating you was a bonus... though it's not as if you put up much of a challenge."

"Well then... maybe you duel for real next time and I'll give you a challenge," retorted Ree.

"It's really not worth my effort, but sure- if you really enjoy losing that much, Ree," Seto fired back.

"Well actually..." the girl answered, "...it's not always about winning. I mean, I... I play to learn new strategies... so really, I don't actually mind losing that much. But I suppose you play to win..."

Seto looked thoughtful. "Mmm. That is indeed usually the case. You don't gain anything otherwise."

"Well..." began Ree, "...you can learn from your losses..."

"Yes," cut in Seto, "but a win is a win.

'and," he continued, "I believe since I won the duel, you must now fulfill your part of the bargain, Ree. You do remember what it was now, don't you?"

Ree sighed, only just recalling his conditions.

"I do. So this means... meetings, every single day, from 8pm until 11... until we get this project finished, right?"

"Precisely."

But just as Ree was about to sink into the inevitable gloomy depression that one feels after an epic loss, Seto suddenly announced,

"...But... I'm in a good mood today. I think I'll allow for a break. Therefore... there will be no meeting tomorrow night."

Ree blinked. No meeting? Surely he couldn't be letting her off this easy... unless he had thought she had suffered enough...? After all, he must think that she needed time to recuperate after losing a duel to him... Or _maybe..._

_Maybe he had seen how diligently she had worked to produce the plans in the time given that he had decided that she deserved a rest? _And this was his subtle way of unofficially accepting her as his project partner... Ree kept a small, secretive smile to herself. Perhaps he was not as cold and uncaring as he acted.

"Thank you," said Ree to an impassive Seto Kaiba, who replied with a simple, unexpressive "Hmph." Ree looked to the doors that led out from the underground chamber. "Well... I suppose it's time for me to leave..."

"Indeed," answered Seto, disconnecting the holo-projector from the podium before walking past to lead the way out.

As they finally arrived at the front door, Seto stated, "I've arranged for the limo to take you home. It is currently waiting for you at the gates, so try not to waste my time or yours by just idly walking." He placed one hand on the doorhandle as Ree merely nodded, unsure, but deciding not to take his last comment as an insult. Then she smiled at him, causing Seto to be taken aback slightly. "Goodnight, Seto," said Ree, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Seto blinked, unsure of what to say. "Goodnight... Ree," he replied before opening the door, as if the phrase was foreign to him. Then as Ree began walking down the marble steps, she suddenly spun round to face him and added,

"Oh, and... thank you for the coffee. I feel miles better," causing a look of confusion to add to the already surprised expression on the boy's face.

Ree then ran down the steps and into the eleven o'clock darkness, leaving a very solemn and vexed Seto Kaiba at the door, gazing at the night after her.


	10. Episode 10

**Episode 10:**

**The Brief Reprieve**

The morning after, everyone was rather shocked when Ree told of what happened the previous night. "Kaiba challenged you to a _duel_?" Tristan exclaimed, disbelief evident in his face. "And not only that-" chipped in Tea, "you tell us that you almost _beat him_?" Ree nodded. "He won in what I was hoping to be his final turn..." she replied, almost starting to not believe her own story herself.

"But then again, he _was _only playing easy with me... Of course, I would have lost a lot faster had he taken me seriously..." Ree added quickly, feeling more and more insignificant as she talked about it. "..._since I'm not that great of a player..."_

"Still," noted Joey, "to last that many turns... Man, you must be pretty good! Maybe you could even take me on next time!" He laughed before adding, "After all, I wasn't just runner-up in Duelist Kingdom for nothing... and even _I _couldn't beat Kai- " At this, Mai gave him a harsh nudge in the ribs and retorted, "Hush, Joesph, I could've beaten you if I had really wanted to," before turning to Ree encouragingly.

"You know, you really shouldn't put yourself down so much, hun," she remarked, leaning casually on a very pained Joey holding his ribs. "Have some more faith in your skills! Anyway, I for one believe it when you say you almost beat him. After all, it _is_ possible to beat the impossible- and Yugi's testament to that, right, Yugi?" said Mai to the diminutive Duel Monsters Champion. Yugi nodded. "It's true," agreed Yugi, "everyone has different weaknesses... You just have to find them. I have beaten Kaiba myself, so I know."

_Yes, but I'm pretty sure that my dueling skills aren't quite up to par with yours, Yugi... _thought Ree rather glumly. She knew he was trying to help, but somehow, comparing herself to the Champion wasn't exactly cheering her up.

"And I suppose you will have to see him again tonight for your project?," enquired Bakura, who had just joined the conversation. Ree frowned slightly, looking slightly perplexed. "Well actually..." she began, then stopped. After all, would they believe it if she told them he was letting her take a break? Mr. Jack Frost just suddenly grew a heart and had compassion? Not in any eternity.

"Well what?" asked a curious Tea. "Don't tell me... he made some ridiculous condition when you lost?" Ree gave her a small, awkward smile. "Well that's the thing... Since I lost, I was supposed to have meetings with him, the same time, every single night until we get this project finished, but..."

"But?"

The girl fiddled nervously with her violet hair ribbons before answering.

"He... He said that..." She looped a thick strand of dark hair around her finger.

"He said that he'd let me have a break, so... Um, today I could have a day off...?"

It was as if a stun grenade had been thrown. The gang was speechless. There was a lengthy silence as puzzled looks were exchanged before Joey broke the silence with the statement that was in everyone's heads-

"Are ya kidding me?" and... "Kaiba-? _Seriously_?"

Tristan slammed a fist into his palm. "There is _no way _that guy would do something for someone other than himself. It has to be some kind of trick!"

"Yeah," agreed Joey, his usually amiable face twisting into a scowl.

"I reckon ya shouldn't listen to him. Knowing Kaiba, it's probably just what he _wants you to think." _Ree blinked in surprise. "You really think so?"

The blonde folded his arms. "Yeah well, me and Yug here's experienced more than enough of Mister Smileypants to last a lifetime... and let me tell ya, for all the times we've given him a hand, we haven't had one real thankyou from that guy." Tea nodded. "That's true... he's never been too happy about us helping him, either." On a roll on his train of logic, Joey then announced, "Ya know what I think ya should do? I reckon you should turn up anyway. That way, you'd show him that ya didn't fall for his trap... and really mess with his mind." He then grinned brightly at his own genius. Ree sweatdropped. "...Um... maybe we're overthinking this a little," she murmured, though she didn't doubt it could be possibly true. He did, after all, foresee their first project meeting. Serenity, who had been quietly observing the entire time, finally spoke up, her kind eyes filled with concern. "Hey guys, maybe Ree's right," she stated, clasping her hands. "Maybe Kaiba really was letting her take a break...?" The girl then looked to her older brother for support, but he shook his head. "Nah, Kaiba's too much of a jerk to do something like that. I betcha anything he's got something planned."

_I just wish I knew what that something is, _thought Ree.

"Well then, trap or not, I think you should just go and enjoy yourself today, don't you think?" smiled Bakura. "Because then you'll both be taking his word and having fun, which would be quite the opposite of what it'd be like working on the project." Ree returned the smile. He was right. It was much preferable to labouring with metal in a cold workshop, that was for sure.

"So then, what do you have planned for today?"

Ree laughed. "I was hoping to maybe hang with you guys for a bit."

Joey sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Er, actually... bad timing, Ree... cos I gotta take Serenity to the doctor for her check-up. She had surgery for her eyes recently so... they gotta see if her eyesight's improving from time to time..."

Ree's eyes widened. "Ah, I see..." For her gentleness, Serenity was quite strong, thought the girl.

"And I've promised to look after Grandpa's game shop today," said Yugi, apologising. As it turned out, everyone was busy that day, having some appointment or arrangement of some sort or another. _Not much of a break if I have noone to enjoy it with, _sighed Ree mentally.

"Oh! I know what you can do," exclaimed Tea excitedly, "Why don't you go explore Domino? It'd be great to know your way around the city. I would love to be your tourguide, but as you know, I've got a dance lesson this afternoon..." Ree brushed it off.

"...It's fine," she replied. "I'll be alright on my own." _Just like the old days..._

But it couldn't be helped, she supposed. It was just unfortunate that the break coincided with everyone else's activities.

Surely she could manage by herself in this city for a single day, right?

* * *

Ree glanced at the tourist pamphlet she was holding and frowned. The park she had been trying to get to was supposed to be somewhere around here, according to the pages of the map. Perhaps she was reading it wrong? For all her geography smarts, she was hopeless at map-reading. Not to mention the fact that she had no sense of direction whatsoever... Ree rested her chin on her knuckles, feeling, yet again, incredibly lost. She was sitting outside in the afternoon sun, at the table of a small cafe near a few tall buildings... _somewhere _in Domino. An almost lukewarm cup of tea sat in front of her, a slight steam billowing and disappearing upwards into the air. She had been there for quite a while now, struggling to figure out exactly where she was and where she was attempting to head to. Maybe I should ask someone, thought Ree, as she took another scan at the panorama around her. I might as well, seeing that I'm not getting anywhere closer to my destination like this...

Then, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. The girl turned to see several tall men wearing shades, dressed in drab black suits and some wearing headsets, striding nearer in her direction. She found it slightly odd, and almost comical, seeing that the men made quite a stark contrast to the vivid colours that was the quiet picturesque scenery before her. Thinking it was probably some corporate business conference about to take place, Ree looked away and curled two fingers around her cup. As she was about to take a sip, there was a speck of mustard yellow in her peripheral vision. She looked up again, and spied a much smaller personage hidden behind the men; sporting a bright yellow bomber jacket and striped shirt. Ree put down her cup and sat up in her seat, feeling quite sure she knew this person from somewhere. As the group approached, she then caught a glimpse of long, dark hair and a pair of mischevious eyes, proving indeed her thoughts to be correct. It was Mokuba Kaiba, her project partner's younger brother.

Not sure it was appropriate to wave or, in fact, make any contact at all with one surrounded by intimidating, unexpressive bodyguards, Ree resigned herself to just casually taking glances to avoid attracting unwanted and accidental attention. However, it seemed that Mokuba himself had now noticed her, his eyes lighting up in recognition. So unable to escape notice any longer, Ree finally lifted a hand in Hello as the boy broke into a run towards her, causing the men in black to hasten their pace as well. "Hey, it's Ree!"

Ree gave a small, friendly smile as he neared. "Hello there, Mokuba."

Eyeing the posse of blacksuits cautiously, she enquired, "What are you up to right now?" The boy folded his arms with an air of importance, in a manner not unlike his older sibling. "I'm running a special errand for Seto. It's highly confidential, so I can't really talk about it. Anyway, I've just finished, so now I'm heading home." Mokuba then spotted the papers strewn on the table and returned, "What about you, Ree?"

The girl's face flushed slightly as she realised that she was in the embarrassing position of having to admit she was lost... again. Especially since it was in front of a child... and even more so since it was Mokuba Kaiba- who had already seen her lost once already in his home. "Um," she began. "Well you see..."

However, a puzzled Mokuba had then picked up the pamphlet and cut in with, "Why are you looking at a tourist guidemap? Are you trying to get somewhere?"

Ree then had to explain about her sightseeing idea and her general foreignness to the whole Domino area, being only a recent arrival. Mokuba's expression had then lit with an understanding "Oh!" and proceeded with, "I just thought you'd always lived round here..." and then finally, "...So then, are you lost?"

To which a very sheepish Ree replied with, "Yes. I am _very _lost."

"Well then," said Mokuba, putting his hands on his hips, "Where do you wanna go? Cos I've been round this city loads of times, so I know my way pretty well around here." All of a sudden, a beam of a grin slowly spread across his face as he caught the drift of a brilliant idea.

"Hey... Why don't _I _become your tourguide?"

Ree began to object, "No, wait... it's okay, I don't want you to miss any important appointments because of..." but the young Kaiba just shook his head dismissively. "It's fine! Since you don't know your way around yet, you need someone to show you round, right? And it's perfect, since I know this place and you don't," he stated excitedly. The boy turned to his bodyguards and began discharging them. One of the men in suits, who had been silent the entire occasion protested, "But Mr. Kaiba Sir, your brother gave us strict orders to accompany you to ensure your safety!" Mokuba waved it off. "It'll be okay. Cos Ree will take all responsibility for me, right, Ree?" Ree sweatdropped and mumbled a confused, "...Um... okay..."

"But, Sir!" came another protest.

Mokuba refolded his arms. "I said it's fine! You guys can go home, and _that's an order_." The men looked at eachother, as if unsure of what to do. It was one thing to obey their boss's commands, and quite another to disobey them. However, it was also another to disobey the orders of his beloved younger brother... and they weren't quite sure they'd like the consequences of their boss if they spurned them. So in the end, after some debate, the suits reluctantly walked away, leaving with a very anxious, "Please, do make sure to call to tell of where you are, Sir."

After they disappeared from view, Mokuba sighed. "I told him I'd be fine on my own, but Seto insisted that I take a guard with me," he explained to Ree.

"I... see..." replied the girl, who was still trying to get over the fact that Mokuba was being referred to as 'Mr. Kaiba' and 'Sir'.

"This is gonna be fun!" exclaimed Mokuba eagerly. He then gathered up the pamphlet papers and began crumpling them into balls. "Forget about this stuff, cos I'll show you all of the cool places in Domino!"

It seemed that Mokuba was her saving grace yet again. Seeing his zest and the energetic grin on his enthusiastic face, Ree couldn't help but bring herself to smile and laugh. He was just such a likable kid. She only wondered how her project partner would react when he found out she was spending time with his little brother.

_I may not like Seto Kaiba very much, but it's not a bad thing that I make friends with his younger brother, right?

* * *

_

Several hours later, there was a resounding, "Yes!" as an ecstatic Mokuba punched the air in victory. "I win again, Ree!" Ree leant, breathless, on her controller buttons, having lost to Mokuba now three times in a row at a game of Monster Invaders. They were at the arcade, Stop Number 8 in his list of "Awesomely Cool Places to Visit." They had been to several parks previously, then to the Cinema, and to a few media stores, toy stores and game shops. After learning with delight that Ree played Duel Monsters, Mokuba had taken her to all the major card shops in the city (Ree refrained from mentioning that she had already faced his elder sibling the previous night) to browse through cardpacks.

Mokuba stretched, then took a sip of his soda. "Okay!" he announced.

"So what's next on the list," enquired Ree, who, though getting quite drained, was riding the waves of Mokuba's seemingly neverending stream of hyperactive vigour. The boy laughed. "Well actually... I've kinda run out of places to go to," he said apologetically. "So... do you have any ideas instead?"

Ree did indeed have places in mind to visit; however, thinking of her young charge, she couldn't exactly see how an energetic ten-year old would be excited to go visit some slow-paced art galleries and museums. _Maybe later, _thought Ree, thinking of one of the advertising banners they had passed, emblazoned with a picture of an Egyptian sarcophagus. 'New Exhibition Coming Soon' it had read.

"Um, not really," the girl replied.

Mokuba frowned in thought. "Well then, what should we do?" He glanced around the arcade. They had played every game at least twice now. Then his eyes rested on a poster displaying a determined-looking Gearfried the Iron Knight clashing with a fierce Swordstalker. You could literally see the gears churning and click into place as the boy exclaimed, a figurative lightbulb glowing above his head; "I know!

'Why don't we have a Duel?"

_I'm feeling a sense of De ja vu,_ mused Ree.

She could have see that one coming... Ree smiled to herself and began to draw out her deck from her pocket when she noticed that Mokuba's face had sunk into a very crestfallen expression as if in realisation of something.

"What's wrong, Mokuba?" asked Ree worriedly, putting a hand on his small shoulder.

He looked up at her, slightly dejected, and replied, "Oh... but I've kinda left my deck at home..." Ree was surprised, but supposed he was expecting to have returned immediately home after his errand, having not taken his deck with him.

"It's okay, Mokuba... Do you want to go home, then?" She checked the clock near the points exchange counter. It was about 7:30pm- they had been out for approximately four or so hours. "It _is _getting late, and your brother is probably worried since we haven't made any contact to tell him where you are..."

Ree suddenly shivered. Not to mention the fact that he'd definitely kill me if I let anything happen to you, she thought nervously.

Mokuba brightened. "Alright then," he said. "I'll go call the limo."

He expertly flipped open the lapel of his jacket, revealing a tiny communications device. Pressing a button, he conveyed into the receiver, "Mokuba to Limousine Five. I request Pick-up; sending the coordinates now." Seeing Ree stare somewhat impressed, he explained, "Seto had these installed so that I could be in contact wherever I go, so we've both got one. Pretty cool, huh?"

Ree smiled. "Very cool."

They stepped out into the evening, the sky turned a dull pink. The city was quiet, and noone else was on the streets, save a lone, bedraggled old man crossing the road. There was a slight breeze, but otherwise everything was rather still and peaceful.

"So now we just wait?" enquired Ree, shifting slightly in the discomfort of the cool outside air. "We wait," agreed Mokuba. Noticing her shivering next to him, he reassuringly said to Ree, "Don't worry, the limo will be here really soon."

"Oh will it now," said a voice leeringly behind his ear.

The pair turned immediately around, alarmed; Mokuba a little too late. He was grabbed from behind, his arms pinned back roughly and a very unsanitary-looking modified pocketknife held to his throat. "Let me go!" he called out as the assailent dragged them both backwards, several metres distance away from Ree.

"Shut up, kid. Stop moving unless you wanna get hurt," the bedraggled man snarled, knocking hard on the back Mokuba's head. The boy cried out as he felt the blow, then fell silent, his eyes becoming fearful.

"Oi, you there," the man addressed Ree, eyeing her suspiciously. "Little girl. You're looking after this kid, right? If you don't want to see him slashed to pieces before your very eyes, give me $5000 in cash, _right now_.

'and don't even try to do anything like calling for help," he continued, seeing Ree about to open her mouth, "or I'll cut his wee arm right off." The man grinned, revealing a set of mismatched teeth.

Ree trembled, thoughts flying through her head at mach speed. Why hadn't she been more careful? She hadn't thought of the old man as a threat when she first saw him... But the signs! Why didn't she pay attention to the signs? She screamed mentally. And everyone thought she was smart...

First of all, the smartest thing to have done was to have stayed inside the arcade, where at least there were people to prevent exactly from this incident happening. And secondly, _she didn't have five grand_! What kind of people did this guy think they were to so casually carry such a ridiculous sum of... _Of course._

The man must have overhead part of their conversation of the limo, implying that they were wealthy- Ree included. But fortunately for them, he didn't seem to be aware of Mokuba's true identity and therefore real net worth... otherwise they would be in a trouble so priceless, Ree couldn't exist long enough to pay it off... corpse or otherwise.

She took a deep, inward breath. What was it they were teaching in those alternative Self-Defense classes? Step One: _De-Escalation_.

"Wait," Ree called out as confidently as she could. "I'll give you the money."

"But, Ree!" protested Mokuba immediately. "You don't-" The girl silenced him with a look that said, _Please. Just hold on for a minute, and hopefully I'll get us out of this. _Or something to that effect, anyway. To their mugger, however, hopefully the look said something along the lines of, _Omigosh I'm so terrified that I'm willing to do exactly as he says so that he leaves us alone and in one piece- _Which was the exact truth. Ree's heart was pounding so frighteningly hard and furiously that she was afraid it would break loose from her body.

The old man pressed the blade closer to Mokuba's throat. "Where is it?" he rasped demandingly.

"In my bag," Ree replied, setting her satchel down slowly. "I-I'm getting it now."

Step Two: _Make an opening for escape._

She unzipped the bag, careful not to take her eyes off their attacker. Ree took out something small, leatherbound and rectangular.

"You can have everything in my wallet," she said nervously. "If... If you let the boy go." The man just sneered at her. "I'll consider it _after _you hand me the wallet."

Ree gulped. "A-Alright, then... I'll... just throw it to you, now...

'3... 2... 1..." She prayed in her mind, _Poor athletic ability, don't fail me now... _and threw. The object soared, a little too high and wide of the man, who cursed and then released Mokuba, shoving him forcefully to the side as he dived at the wallet in greed.

Step Three: _Run!_

"Mokuba!" Ree called to boy, now freed. He nodded, "Right!" and dashed off to her side, the two of them sprinting as fast as they could away.

They only had mere seconds, before their assailent unbuckled the clasps and realised what Ree had done... _Right, _she thought, as her heart hammered in her chest. _This is not exactly the Physical Education I want to experience ever again..._

Then at about twenty metres away, behind them she heard an angry voice hollering, "Hey... Wait a minute! This ain't no wallet, it's a goddamn leather organiser!" Suffice to say, he was after them.

"Keep running, Mokuba," panted Ree, running to somewhere, anywhere away from here. The boy took a quick glimpse behind them. "He's still coming, Ree!"

They raced up the road.

Suddenly, there was a screech of tyres and then there were a pair of headlights in front of them, blinding them temporarily. Mokuba, his eyes the quickest to adjust, yelled, "It's the limo! Come on!" They ran to the side, Mokuba flinging open the door and jumping hurriedly in first. As Ree began to enter the vehicle, she saw something metallic flash through the air, to the ground. She looked down to see the pocketknife, embedded firmly in the ground, a centimetre away from her foot. "What are you waiting for, Ree? Get in!"

Ree looked back, and saw their crazed knife-throwing friend coming about five metres away. Thinking of several other places the knife could have embedded in, she leapt into the limo, slamming the door shut, hard after herself.

"Home," yelled Mokuba, "And step on it!"

The limousine reared forward, engine revving. The old madman leaped out the way, shaking his fist and cursing fervently as he watched the automobile speed past into the darkening evening hour.

Ree sunk heavily in her seat as she was overcome with relief to escape such a dreadful situation, her heart still a myriad of galloping wild horses beating out a dark rythmn in her chest.

* * *

There was a few minutes of silence in the limo as the pair had to catch their breath. When he had stopped panting, Mokuba looked at Ree sorrowfully, then looked down.

"Sorry about your organiser," he apologised. Ree furiously shook her head.

"A minor loss," she replied anxiously, "I'm just glad you aren't hurt... and that is much more important."

"Well, I'm fine, thanks to you," stated Mokuba with a tiny grin. "Hey, how'd you think of tricking him like that?"

Ree returned a small smile. "Well, I certainly didn't have the money, but I didn't want to aggravate him further, so I was actually going to give him my real wallet," she admitted. "I only thought of it when I felt my leatherbound organiser in my bag while I was trying to retrieve my wallet. It's rather small, and has clasps... Um, I imagined that at the distance we were from each other it'd look more or less like a wallet to him...

'I guess it was a gamble, but I thought it would give us more time, since the clasps on that thing are rather hard to open." Mokuba stared at her in awe.

"Wow," he stated. "That's pretty clever, thinking of that really quick." Then he tilted his head to the side and said, "You know, you're almost as smart as my big brother."

Ree shirked a bit at the notion of being compared to the narcissistic teenage CEO, and looked out the window. "Speaking of trouble," she began.

"He's going to utterly destroy me once he finds out what I got you into tonight..."

Mokuba frowned. "But you got us out of it, right? Besides, it wasn't even your fault... You didn't even know the guy was a lunatic!" Ree smiled softly.

"True, but as your senior, I was obligatorily responsible for your safety. So... really I should have known better than to place you in danger..."

To her surprise, the young boy scoffed and crossed his arms. "Aw, C'mon, Ree!" he exclaimed. "Don't be so hard on yourself!" Ree blinked. "Huh, must be a habit," she replied, thinking Mai had said something similar earlier.

"If anything," continued Mokuba, "I'd say it was my, the touristguide's fault, for taking you to such an unsafe place in the first place."

At this, Ree chuckled. He was trying to cheer her up, she thought. Amidst his protests, Ree ruffled his hair. "Hey!" he exclaimed, rearranging his locks.

Ree laughed, then said, "Thanks, Mokuba."

The boy smoothed out his bangs. "For what?"

"For the tour today. I had fun."

Mokuba grinned. "Hey, no problem! I had fun too." Then he added, "Oh, and don't worry about Seto; I'll tell him it wasn't your fault."

Ree returned a smile. "Again, thanks."

Mokuba swelled with pride, then mischeviously reminded her, "You won't be thanking me so much when I beat you. We still have to Duel, remember?"

"Oh, is that so? Then I guess I'll have to win then," teased Ree.

"You're on! But I have to warn you though, I'm pretty good since my big brother taught me everything I know."

Ree giggled. "Well then, I'll have to teach you otherwise."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You're going down, Ree!"

As the limousine pulled into the Kaiba mansion's driveway, Ree suddenly had the urge to check the time. She took a quick peek at the digital clock in the vehicle dashboard. The time '08:05' was displayed in neon digits- the time Seto usually held their meetings. Odd, she thought as she followed Mokuba to the front entrance. How is it that even on her break that she still managed to find herself at this place? Did Kaiba play some sort of psychological mind trick on her? Perhaps he was expecting her, even.

_Oh no... Joey's paranoia must be getting to me... _Ree shook it off.

Then any doubts and suspicion was soon pushed aside at the arrival of their host as he opened the heavy oak doors. Seto Kaiba was standing wearing what looked to be his dinner finery, and seemed genuinely surprised to see her. Maybe even slightly annoyed. Then he ignored her, addressing his brother.

"What happened, Mokuba? I expected you hours ago."

"Sorry, big bro," replied the boy, looking downcast. "Since Ree's new to town and all, I was showing her around the city and stuff! ...I didn't think it'd take so long..." Then he glanced at Ree next to him and continued, "...and then we got attacked by this guy with a knife who was trying to steal our money-" He was cut off by a furious Seto who yelled, "What?"

"That is why I told you to bring a guard with you. Why did you send them back?" He glared at Ree, then enquired to his brother, "...Are you alright?"

Mokuba nodded.

"Actually, it was all thanks to Ree that we managed to get away," said he, trying to put in a good word for her, "...so it's not her fault..."

Seto stared long and hard at the girl before finally announcing, "Hmph. Then you will be compensated for your effort."

Not even a real thankyou, mused Ree, again recalling Joey's words. "I-It's fine," she stated, averting the steel in his eyes. "I just wanted to make sure Mokuba was okay... so I can't accept any sort of reward as such..."

Seto seemed to skip over her words and gave her a chillier glare than usual.

"I hate owing debts."

What was his problem? For some reason, and today especially, thought Ree, it seemed as though he was _determined _to make her _hate_ him. What could she have done to upset him? After all, she still barely knew him! She could only think of when they had first accidentally walked into eachother that day, but _surely _he wasn't so petty to go as far as this for revenge? Or was he simply angry that she was becoming friends with his brother? He was so unsociable. Then, as if in reaction to her thoughts, Seto stated, "I see you've chosen not to accept my offer for taking a day off." _Unbelievable_.

"I... beg your pardon?" Ree was desperately hoping she had misheard, clinging to the thinning rope that was hanging over the abyss that was soon to be her tolerance.

Seto Kaiba folded his arms, the beginnings of his arrogance emerging.

"Why else would you be here? Albeit a few minutes late, but you are still here, no less." Ree just couldn't understand it... he was so _hostile_ in comparison to yesterday. "Actually," she began, "I am here because of your brother..." She tried to maintain a level-headed stare to meet his, but had to blink mutiple times so as to not be frozen by his ice.

"Oh, is that a fact?"

_Why was he so cold to her? _She had actually thought they were somewhat civil... guess she had thought of him wrong, yet again.

Seto smirked. "Come now, Ree. We both know the real reason why you are here. Evidently, it is because you were too ashamed of your efforts in our last meeting, so you decided to come back for some more practice, correct?"

Ree clenched her fists tightly. _Don't hit him, don't hit him... _But her tolerance was beginning to break. Underneath her normally peaceful and shy composure, a war was brewing. "...The world doesn't revolve around you, Seto Kaiba. If you knew that, then perhaps you'd know I came here for someone other than yourself."

The boy shrugged. "Mere words. They fail to cover for your presence here. Why don't you make it easier for both of us and admit the truth for yourself?"

_He... he was so...! _Whatever his intentions were, it was working. Ree's dislike of him was rapidly expanding. However, she said nothing, in an effort to calm herself. Seto hmphed satisfactorily. "As I thought." Ree couldn't take it anymore.

"...You-! Y-You are-!" Ree struggled to find words to describe exactly how infuriated and exasperated she felt.

"And I am _what,_ exactly?" said Seto, adding the final drop of gasoline to what was left of the burning funeral pyre that was their conversation.

Just how angry was he trying to make her? Her tolerance cap exploded.

"You... You are _the _most insensitive, cold-hearted, conceited, ungrateful... insufferable, discourteous, horrible and cretinous ignoramus I've ever had the misfortune to encounter in my life!" Ree yelled, her small voice just about breaking. "I... I can't... _What is wrong with you?_" She turned around and ran, furiously battling her instinct to scream; blinking back small tears.

_I will not cry in front of him. Never._

"And where do you think you're going?" Seto yelled at her as she left. The girl turned back and furiously glared through watery eyes. "Anywhere, as long as it's away from _you_!" She shook her head angrily. "You know, I was giving you a chance, despite what everyone said; hoping you'd prove them wrong.

'But I guess Joey was right, after all. You're as cold as they say."

Continuing down the path she called, "...and don't bother holding a meeting tomorrow, because I won't be coming. Not anymore."

Ree then ran out of the gates, not looking back, and not caring where she was running to.

"Figures you were one of _them_," muttered Seto as he observed her figure disappear into the night.

In the few long seconds afterwards, a slightly disappointed Mokuba said quietly, "Seto? I think you should try being a bit nicer to her."

"Tch," remarked an extremely annoyed Seto Kaiba, irritably. He slammed the front doors closed, hard- and stormed off angrily into the mansion; his footsteps ringing hollow across the cold floor.

* * *

The boy frowned, his eyes gleaming malevolently. Strange, he thought, looking around. Where did it go? He looked down at the golden halo-shaped contraption in his hands, its pointed pendants hanging loosely, aiming at the ground. It had been glowing a minute before...

He growled in frustration. In the last few weeks, the Ring had been picking up a strange aura in the Domino area, not unlike a Millenium Item. However, the energy being emitted felt like something else, something more _ancient_ than simple Shadow Magic. Unfortunately, every time when he thought he was getting closer to the source of the aura, the trace energy the Ring was tracking would suddenly disappear, making it impossible to gauge its power. He had even begun to skip some classes in school, using his host's weak body as an exuse, to track the aura at its strongest, usually during the day. Some of Bakura's mortal classmates were beginning to get suspicious, so he was forced to create some unfortunate _accidents_ and mind-wipe the rest...

But tonight was supposed to be different. He couldn't risk blowing his cover to any of Bakura's friends, and so he had to feign some ridiculous story about being very involved in extracurricular activities that would take up most of his time. The energy source had been rising in intensity throughout the entire day, and continuing through the evening. He had felt sure he would be able to track the aura to its core this time, since its trace was a lot stronger than it was previously. Then he had traced this energy to this empty street, near the centre of the city, where, yet again, it suddenly vanished- almost as if it was being blocked out by something.

A slight disturbance caught the corner of his eye, and, hearing movement, the Spirit of the Ring turned his head to the left to see a small lone figure, in seemingly aimless direction, running towards him. It was Bakura's friend... What was her name... Ree? He cursed, and shoved his Item underneath his shirt. Noone was supposed to see him tonight. Never mind that now... he had to get rid of her... and with that, he closed his eyes and dived back into the dark of his host's core.

_He just needed an opening..._

Ryou Bakura blinked, startled. Where was he? It took a quick glimpse at his surroundings and the coldness of the Millenium Ring against his chest to understand the situation. _He _was searching for something again. Ryou sighed. It was impossible to read the evil spirit's thoughts, but it was most likely something dangerous again. Then, upon hearing footsteps, he turned and saw Ree running in his direction. It looked like she couldn't see him, and she looked rather upset. No question what the cause is, he thought sympathetically. But what was she doing all alone... at this time of the night? Especially with... well, his _other half _stalking the streets...

No. He had to take her home, and fast, before the Spirit decided to take over and dispose of her...

* * *

She was so stupid! What on earth had given her the impression that they could possibly be something close to friends? He was a cruel monster! So heartless... so _cold_... Idiot. _He_ was an idiot. But it didn't matter anymore, she thought. She didn't want to see him ever again. Ree ran, not knowing where she was going or where she would end up. So focused on her thoughts that she almost missed what sounded like someone calling to her. "Ree!"

The girl blinked and then realised there was someone in front of her. The cool light of the dim streetlamps illuminated his pale hair and skin, turning him silver. "Bakura? What are you doing here?"

The boy gave a small smile. "Taking a nighttime walk," he replied cheerfully.

"But the better question is, what is a young lady like yourself waltzing through the city alone at night? And your eyes are rather red... Did you happen to meet with a certain ill-tempered blue-eyed youth, by chance?"

Ree laughed quietly. "Something like that," she smiled.

"Well, come on, then- let me escort you home... who knows what more kind of unsavoury characters you might meet tonight!" Bakura offered his arm. Ree nodded and took it, thinking of the mugger earlier.

The more this day comes to a close, the more bad things start to happen, thought the girl grimly. _No more unpleasant surprises, please..._

Just as she thought this, a golden glow erupted from Bakura next to her. Ree covered her eyes to filter the glare and tried to stare through to the source. It seemed to be coming from the centre of his chest... some sort of circular object hidden behind his shirt. "B-Bakura? What's happening?"

The boy quickly unlinked his arm from hers and stepped away from her.

"Ree! Get back- now!" Bakura seemed to struggle with himself, his expression in turmoil. Not now... he thought, as he fought off the Spirit's emerging psyche. Not again... However, the Spirit's hold on the ring was much too powerful to control. Bakura felt the barriers in his mind ferociously crash down as he battled to keep them up; his mind beginning to cloud as he slowly succumbed to his inner darkness. _Ree... don't hurt Ree... _Then the world faded to grey nothingness and he was lost, locked in the very depths of himself.

The golden glow dissipated, and Ree blinked to adjust to the sudden darkness.

"What... What was that just now, Bakura?" The girl shivered. There was that strange, familiar chill again. Bakura didn't answer. Ree couldn't be too sure in the dim light of the streetlamps but he looked awfully like he was _leering _at her.

"Um, Bakura?"

He made no motion to answer, but instead chose to lift out the golden object from under his shirt. The eye adorning the triangular centrepiece in the instrument seemed to stare at her. Ree wasn't liking this one bit, and backed away slightly. "...Wh-What is that?"

Bakura laughed, which Ree found rather creepy. This wasn't like the Bakura she knew at all. "Why, this is the Millenium Ring," the boy replied with a smirk.

"The very same instrument I will use to make you conveniently forget that you ever saw me tonight." _What was he talking about? Conveniently forget... how? _Ree backed further away, hoping he wasn't going to try give her a concussion.

"Indeed, you should be afraid... and quite rightly so," said Bakura, smiling wickedly, "...for the Ring's power is nothing to laugh at."

This is much too weird, thought Ree. Bakura's acting really strange... perhaps I should just walk myself home. To her friend's seemingly complete opposite persona, she stated, "...I don't really understand what's gotten into you, Bakura, but I think I'll go take myself home now..."

The boy chuckled, a dangerous glint in his eye. "Not quite, Ree. For if you believed I was merely joking when I said I would erase your memory, then you are sorely mistaken." With that, he held the instrument flat towards her, and it started to glow ominously. Like a deer in headlights, Ree was transfixed, frozen both by fascination and the horror of what would happen to her... but she couldn't stop staring at the golden object in his hands. Suddenly, one of its pointed pendants rised up and directed at her accusingly, as if drawn like a magnet. Bakura frowned, as if he hadn't expected this. "Odd," he muttered. Then shrugged it off. "No matter." Then the Ring lit up with radiant energy, and a focused beam of golden light shot out from the engraved eye, shooting up to the sky. Watching the beam seemed to drain Ree of her energy, and for some reason, her whole body was becoming numb and useless. Her mind felt very fatigued for some reason. _What's... going on... _Everything seemed to be evaporating in front of her, disappearing into a strange haze... and then her eyes closed, her weakened body falling to the ground.

The Spirit of the Ring, impassive, caught the girl as she fell. She seemed weak enough... definitely mortal. But his Item had picked up something from her... but what was it? There was no chance it was another Millenium Item- the Ring would have picked up on it a long time ago. So then, what was the Ring trying to tell him? Ridiculous. It was probably nothing, most likely residual energy from hanging with the likes of the Pharoah and his friends. Besides, he thought, surveying the girl closely, this was meaningless in comparison to that other energy he had felt tonight. By the way the Ring was glowing, it was still around here somewhere, though the trace was quite faint.

He would have liked to send Ree to the Shadow Realm- but Yugi and his friends might become suspicious of her absence from class. After all, they had practice in trying to get rid of him countless times before, so they would surely suspect Bakura immediately if Ree had suddenly vanished...

He would have to drop her home first, in Bakura's guise- he had a hunt to finish, after all. He heaved her unconscious body over his shoulder. The girl was small, and surprisingly light. Then he sprinted off, at a speed not quite normal for an average human being.

* * *

A weary Ree opened her eyelids to a familiar scene; school books piled on the top of the desk, geographical and astronomical posters sprawled across the walls in perfect alignment... and the purple checkered duvet cover underneath her arms. Too familiar... Ree suddenly sat up. This was _her_ room! But when did she get home? "Ugh," groaned Ree, clutching her hand to her temple. Her head hurt for some reason. What had happened to her?

Let's see, what did she do today... She took a tour with Mokuba around Domino City... and then they got attacked by that mugger... then there was that argument with Seto... and then what? She swore that she had met with someone after that, but the more she tried to recall, the more the memory seemed to slip away from her into a thick fog, like water leaking through cupped hands. Her mind was so hazy... Why couldn't she remember?

She must have been extraordinarily tired, and had went straight to bed after walking home. Yes, that was probably it. It _had _been a long, eventful day... her brain must have shut down from all the pressure.

Well, no use taxing it further by thinking about it, thought Ree.

Then she rolled over, and fell asleep... feeling vaguely like she was forgetting something.


	11. Episode 11

**Episode 11:**

**Mokuba, Man On A Mission**

Sunlight seeped through the majestic curtains in the bedroom, igniting the chamber with a sleepy summer glow. There was a slight breeze in the room due to the windows being open, but it did nothing to avert the heat.

It was a lovely day out, but inside the Kaiba Mansion, there was an atmospheric cold emptiness. A small boy lay sprawled out on his bed, with toys scattered lazily across the floor and drawings of Duel Monsters plastered in various places. Some had even been crumpled up and tossed into the rubbish, with a few missing the bin- evidence that a game of hoops had been played by someone until they couldn't be bothered with it anymore to clean up. The young boy lay motionless, his dark blue eyes staring blankly up into the white ceiling, as if waiting for it to suddenly change and erupt into something exciting.

It had been approximately three and a half days since Seto and Ree's quarrel, and Mokuba Kaiba was _bored_. In those three days, all Seto would do as soon as he came home from class was either hole himself up in his study or spend long hours away at the Kaiba Corp Headquarters. In fact he seemed to have thrown himself into his work so much so that Mokuba himself hadn't seen or heard from his older brother properly aside from glimpses as he busily transported himself to and from the mansion. He had seemed in a far worse mood than usual this week, so Mokuba had decided to stay out of his way until he had calmed down. However, it appeared that Seto's disposition was in no condition to improve, and the mansion was feeling emptier and emptier by the minute, steadily increasing the deadening grip of boredom. The security suits surrounding the perimeter were always too busy... well, being _security_ to play, and the technicians weren't exactly equipped to deal with an energetic ten-year old child.

_And now Ree wouldn't come round anymore..._

Mokuba knew his brother too well to not know that he had purposely set Ree off for some reason. But did he have to be that harsh to her? Besides, Mokuba did tell him it was his own idea and all, and therefore, by his own logic, it should be his fault, not Ree's... after all, Seto knew that it wasn't in her personality to refuse, anyway. So why did he have to make her so mad and run away?

It wasn't fair, Mokuba decided. It seemed to him that every time he made a new friend, Seto always managed to scare them away or secure them as a rival, thus setting up an iron barrier against befriending them on the term that it would mean betraying his loyalty to his older sibling.

After all, he didn't think Yugi and his friends were _that _weird. Seto had always called them demeaning names, like 'dweebs' and 'the Geek Squad' and stuff, but... Mokuba actually thought they were... kinda nice... and Yugi was almost as cool as Seto... (Though he'd never tell his brother that.) And since Ree was friends with _them_, that probably meant that he wasn't allowed to be friends with her either, which would explain why he was so angry that night.

In retrospect, Mokuba supposed his brother had quite a good reason for shielding him from people, after all, how many times had he been captured or kidnapped, just for the sake of exploiting Seto's only weakness?

I mean, there was that time at school... and then that time in Duelist Kingdom when Pegasus trapped my soul, Mokuba mused thoughtfully, though Yugi was the one who saved both me and Seto from that- even if he didn't believe in that 'hocus-pocus nonsense'. (Seto had always explained it off as they had been sedated by hallucinogenic drugs causing them to see and feel illusions, but Mokuba wasn't quite sure.) It was the reason why Mokuba was home-schooled, surrounded by the safety of cameras and laser tripwires.

Still, he thought, frowning slightly, it'd be nice to be able to have friends. Or at least someone to play with... not that he wasn't used to playing alone due to Seto being busy at work a lot of the time.

But Ree... She had seemed to fit in a loophole somewhere. His brother had seemed to not associate her particularly with Yugi and his friends, nor consider her a rival in terms of anything he deemed important. Seto also didn't seem to hate her, which, was a good thing he supposed, though it was evident he didn't particularly like her either. However, it appeared to Mokuba that his brother did find Ree somewhat interesting, as their meetings had always left a curious expression on his face afterwards, though it was an odd mixture of something between a scowl and something less than a smile.

Therefore, he had thought it'd be okay if they'd be friends... until _that _happened, of course. Now he was back to square one in the friends list.

The boy rolled over onto his stomach, and leant his head on his arms. It occurred to him that the only way he could have... well,'official', Big Brother-Approved friends was by making friends with Seto's friends... if he had any.

It was Seto's strong belief that they didn't need anyone else but themselves to rely on. After all, if you can't trust yourself, who can you trust? The fact of the matter was, Seto didn't need nor want friends, end of story.

Mokuba sat up and groaned. He frustratedly threw his pillow at the wall.

"Argh, Just _make up _already!"

Yes, thought the boy, if only Seto and Ree made amends, it would solve everything. But knowing the stubbornness of his older brother, Mokuba knew that even if he knew he was in the wrong, Seto would never admit it, least of all show weakness in the form of apologising. Also, though Ree was far too nice to hold grudges, she definitely wasn't going to attempt to make up any time soon...

So only thing it meant was that this could continue indefinitely. Unless... they had _outside interference_...

He checked his watch. 4:18pm. That meant school was already finished for the day, right? Good.

The boy suddenly stood up and placed his hands on his hips. A very large grin had appeared on his lips...

Mokuba Kaiba just had an idea.

* * *

It felt really weird creeping around in his own home, especially since he was the only person there. But when you're a Kaiba, security systems were the only eyes that could keep you safe... or in this case, produce evidence of attempting to sneak into your brother's study without permission. Mokuba needed to contact Ree in order to put his plan into action, but he had no idea what her phone number was, or where she lived. And it wasn't like they had a phone directory just lying around... after all, there was no need if they had a single, universal one for the entire globe that systematically updated itself electronically every month, was there? Unfortunately, it was on Seto's personal study computer... which he wasn't exactly permitted to use unless it was for those rare occasions when he was asked to while Seto was working on a parallel project. He _could _use the mansion's underground central mainframe computer- he had the access keycard, after all, but noone was _ever_ allowed to touch that. So.

This left Mokuba with the exhilarating option of going spy... in order to just use his brother's computer without him knowing.

Being a Kaiba, and Seto's right-hand man, meant that he knew the mansion security system completely inside and out. Mokuba could place all 120 cameras in the vicinity off the top of his head, excluding the 50 guarding the outside. However, he only needed to worry about 15 of them in the path he was taking... and he knew exactly where each of the individual blindspots were. It also helped that he wasn't quite as tall as his elder sibling, and thus could stay out of the electronic eye with much more ease. He could always turn off the security cameras, of course, but they were _never _turned off. Not even during maintenance. And besides, it was much more fun doing it this way.

First of all, Mokuba had needed to appear as if he was in his study. Even though his administerial office was right next to his brother's study, he wouldn't be able to access the blindspots from there. Therefore, it had to be his study... and so he had waltzed there, in full view of five cameras, and appeared to close the door, leaving the door slightly ajar- with room for only a very small person to squeeze through. Knowing that the cameras could only see from the bottom of a doorknob upwards, aiming at the average midriff of a person, Mokuba sank low into the ground, and crawled, head lowered, squeezing through the gap carefully in the doorway- and making sure not to touch the door so as to not announce his presence. Once he was out, he had slid out to the right, behind the leafy potplant that was about his height, concealing him entirely, and thus making it the first blindspot... and his first checkpoint in the mission.

Now was the tricky bit. Even though Seto's study was just down the hall from Mokuba's, the hallway itself was covered by the remaining ten cameras; all placed in specific places so that the scope covered almost the entire area. These cameras weren't just stationery however. In fact, they were panning surveillance cameras- four of them covert; which were in the two other potplants lining the corridor across from the one Mokuba was behind, and the other two further down the far end. The other six lined the other side of the hallway, on top of the centremost doors, creating a criss-crossing weave of scope that would trouble even the most seasoned of thieves. Seto called this stretch of corridor 'The Gauntlet', and with good reason. Aside from some seemingly useless blindspots, it was almost impossible to get past without being seen by at least one camera. Almost.

Not unless you were Mokuba Kaiba, whose expertise and small size made the seemingly useless blindspots incredibly advantageous.

For starters, he knew that all of the cameras panned no more than 105 degrees in total, and also that they all had different panning speeds, and so therefore, depending on where exactly which particular camera was panning towards, it was possible to judge which blindspot checkpoint was safe to head towards.

Why, for instance, even though the first two cameras of the hall panned in opposite directions, one had a 3-second panning speed, while the other had a 5-second speed. This meant that eventually, the 3-second would pan the same way as the 5-second, albeit for a short time- giving exactly 3 seconds to dash to the second blindspot: a triangle against the back wall, slightly off-centre towards the left wall; where none of the cameras' ranges reached.

So as soon as the two cameras aligned in direction, Mokuba leapt up from behind the plant and sprinted across the hall, pressing himself flat against the back wall under cover of the blindspot.

The next series of blindspot checkpoints lined up the whole length of the left wall, though they weren't ones ordinary thieves could get to. This was because the cameras, blindspot being the side angles of anything less or more than 105 degrees, also couldn't see past the thick foliage of the potplants lining the corridor. The tiny gap between wall and plant was far too small for the average adult, but it was perfect for the young Kaiba brother. Mokuba surveyed the cameras closely as they panned, counting the seconds before making his mad dash from checkpoint to checkpoint, diving behind plant after plant.

_1, 2, 3... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... 1, 2, 3... 1, 2, 3..._

Eventually he had reached the last potplant, but he wasn't in the clear just yet.

The boy now needed to cross over to the right wall, where the study door was, closed. However, the blindspot needed to cross only appeared for a short time, and then he would have to leap into the other temporary blindspot of the doorway, open the door and close it- all before the cameras panned to see him.

If he remembered correctly, the blindspot crossing would appear for three seconds, and the doorway one, seven; meaning that he would have about four seconds to get himself into the study. Mokuba had to time this absolutely perfectly.

It took several cycles of panning until he was ready... then as the cameras hit their maximum angles, Mokuba sprinted... towards the landscape painting adorning the far wall, the slightly crooked angle pointing at the invisible blindspot. He counted furiously, 1... 2... 3... then pushed himself off the wall and launched himself at the closing doorway blindspot. 1... 2... The boy reached the door and tugged hard on the doorknob, falling inside. 3... He had to close the door, quickly! Scampering to his feet, Mokuba slammed the door shut behind him and breathed a 4. He was safe.

It wasn't as if it was the first time he had sneaked into his brother's study to borrow his computer. In fact, he had done it several times already in the past, using many different routes. It was a game he often played when Seto wasn't around- a game of wits, speed... and patience. After all, if you're Seto's 2nd-in-Command, what better way to test the security than this?

And besides, it was a form of practice for evading capture- something Mokuba really needed to work on... and staving off boredom was just a plus.

Seto's computer sat dormant on the desk, its LED light flashing quietly on the monitor, indicating it was on standby. Mokuba immediately rectified this and tapped a few buttons, expertly booting up into the login screen. He hopped onto the chair with childish agility, his legs dangling off the ground due to his small height. The monitor flashed once, and then the cursor appeared in the login dialogue, inquiring for the password. The young boy frowned.

_I wonder if Seto's changed his password... it's almost been a week now._

In caution, Mokuba navigated the mouse to the password reminder option.

The screen blinked, then spelt out, "If White opens with the King's Gambit, then Black counters with the Sicilian Defense, what opening could Black move to in order to take the centre?"

Well this is definitely new, thought Mokuba, comparing the password to last week's Proton rocketfuel question. For Heaven's sake, he was just a _kid_! He couldn't _pronounce _'nitrogen tetroxide', never mind spelling it. It was just by luck that there was something about it in his science book that time or he wouldn't have been able to answer the question.

But this week's password... he _knew _this one. Hadn't he watched Seto play chess enough times to know about the various moves? Mokuba was never that great at the game himself, but he knew plenty enough to rival an advanced player.

Mentally, he visualised the chessboard, drawing up the 8 x 8 squares with his finger in the air in front of him.

If you open with King's Gambit, thought Mokuba, White has to play a pawn to E4 in his opening move. He moved his finger in the air to mimic the placement of the pawn. _But if you counter with Sicilian Defense, Black moves a pawn to C5, right? _Mokuba mentally moved the pawn into position. _Which meant that Black will try to go for White's pawn with his bishop and knight, attacking the Queenside... making the "Dragon" opening. _Again, he moved his finger, placing the moves in his head.

_But if Black wants to stop White's Knights from countering, then he will have to play a pawn to A6 to block B5... which made it..._

Argh. He knew this one. If it wasn't the Dragon, then it'd have to be... something.

Mokuba frustratingly tried to recall the name. It was foreign. German? No, it sounded more like Polish. N-something, he remembered Seto telling him. Nador? Nerderf? Something like that. Then all of a sudden, it hit him. _The Najdorf Variation. _Named after Grandmaster Miguel Najdorf of Poland.

He typed the words into the dialogue box and hit Enter- and smiled as the computer granted him access.

Now that he was in, Mokuba quickly located the global directory program and ran it. The Kaiba Corp insignia flashed onto the screen, followed by a globe icon. The words "LOADING DATA..." appeared for a few seconds as binary code scrolled down through the screen before finally being replaced by the interface.

The search query greeted him, to which he replied by typing in Ree's name and hitting Enter.

"LOCATING... UPDATING SEARCH DATA" was the computer's response, then proceeded to list several entries. _Woops, forgot about that._ Mokuba swapped the global filter to 'Japan, Domino City' which narrowed the list down to a single entry of one "Zephyron, Ree". Bingo, he thought as he opened up the file.

Phase One of the mission was almost complete.

Now he just needed to make a call...

* * *

This couldn't be happening.

In just under a week of starting school, she had been placed in an extension class, given an Advanced Science assignment, received a reputation for being consistently punctually-deficient, labelled a nerd for the rest of her Domino High life, nearly mugged and killed by some knife-brandishing maniac, made a possible life-long enemy out of Seto Kaiba, and consequently throwing her first ever grade for the year out the window. Things were not exactly looking bright for Miss Ree Zephyron. The girl slumped lifelessly into the armchair she was sinking in, resting her head into the cushioned back.

Sure, she had made some wonderful friends and life was better than she expected, but all these negative occurrences seemed to be taking things into a more backward approach over everything positive.

And now... this. This... _problem._ Ree had tried fervently to persuade Mr. Maneco into breaking up the partnership over the last couple of days, but he was adamant that as a 'team' they had to 'work things out' between them- and nothing would convince him otherwise; even if she was the first girl in his class, he had said. And so Ree had left grudgingly disappointed, wondering how desperate she was and whether or not she should go back and plead for a solo project.

Talking things over with the gang had helped lift her mood significantly, plus it was always quite a laugh when they gave her science partner in question a heated glare every time they passed by him in the corridor.

But now this dilemma was growing to be quite an annoyance...

Ree had been purposely trying to ignore him the past few days, in an effort to put up a strong front to her words from that night. It was surprisingly easy, however- since Seto appeared to be doing the exact same thing. Unfortunately, this meant that their relationship- or rather, acquaintanceship- wasn't getting any better, and the project deadline wasn't getting any further away over time.

Now she was at home... pondering her options... or lack of them.

What could she do?

Ree sat up slightly, and absentmindedly played with the right hair-ribbon in her locks, twirling it round and round her finger until it came undone. She _could _attempt to end the feud by apologising to Seto first; she did have a part in it, after all- but somehow, imagining the triumphant sneer on her partner's pompous face as she bowed for forgiveness was something she was totally unprepared to handle right now- and probably never will.

The girl began to re-tie the hair ribbon and frowned dejectedly.

At any rate, she should most likely ready herself for an inevitable fall, since Seto was much too proud to try and make amends himself. The notion was quite laughable, really. Seto Kaiba, apologise? Only if Hell froze over and the world ended.

Ree groaned. Well, it's not as if anything will change if I sit here, she thought. Wasn't there something she could do?

All of a sudden, a sharp melodic ringing filled the air, interrupting her thoughts. The abrupt noise made her jump in surprise, but then she realised that the source of sound was emanating from the telephone. She let it ring a few more times before answering... she wasn't exactly in the frame of mind for speech.

"Hello?"

"Oh, um, is that you, Ree?" The voice sounded young, childish.

"Ah, yeah, it is... Mokuba?"

"Yup, it's me." Ree was certainly surprised. After all, she wasn't expecting a call directly from the young Kaiba brother.

"So what can I help you with, Mokuba?"

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line, before the boy began with,

"Well..." Mokuba paused again, before starting, "You know how that time you promised a duel with me?" Ree nodded silently, forgetting she was on call.

"Yeah, I remember," she spoke into the phone.

"Well, I wanted know if you wanted to, um, hang out with me at my place this afternoon... since, you know, you still owe me and stuff."

Ree hesitated.

"...I'd really like to... but... I don't know..." She stopped. It wasn't like she was exactly in the mood to visit the... ahem, not-very-humble abode of her warring opponent. Mokuba sensed this, and quickly added,

"I know you guys had that fight and all... but I could make sure that Seto wasn't home... at least for a while...

'Please?" He added that last bit as a slight plead to Ree's character, and hoped she'd take it. Ree appeared to be considering it however, judging by the lengthy silence. The slight crackling in the speakers gave an indication of a breathy sigh.

After a while, she finally replied,

"...Alright, Mokuba. But only because it's you."

Over the other side of the phone, an euphoric Mokuba made a fist in the air in triumph.

"Okay, Ree, I'll get the limo to come pick you up at around half-past five, kay?"

Ree agreed, and then Mokuba hung up the line.

Phase One was complete.

Now to commence Phase Two... if he could only exit the study without being seen by the cameras. Hmm, said Mokuba thoughtfully, staring through the glass.

I wonder if I can get through the window?

* * *

His reflection glared back at him as he gazed through the windows of his private company office; an impassive, unsmiling young man, with cold eyes of someone who had seen and done far too much for one his age. The Kaiba Corp CEO was taking a quiet respite from declining worthless investors and negotiating a trade deal with a global firm for the fifth time this week, and he had a lot on his mind. Dealing with personal issues was always something he'd rather not have to handle himself, but unfortunately, Seto was only human- no matter how many emotions he had managed to cast aside over the years.

When they had left the orphanage those many years ago, and he was put through that insidous torture of a life by their step-father, Gozaburo Kaiba, Mokuba was his only link that kept him sane... But, that was a long time ago. Mokuba was a guiding light in his life, and still very much so now. Despite how well-guarded his heart was, and how much of it was now stone, there was still a tiny portion that beated with the adoration of his younger brother. And sadly, many knew that. All of his power, all of his influence- yet how many times had he failed as an older sibling to protect Mokuba from multiple kidnappings and hostage situations? Seto reached inside of his corporate blazer, revealing a Duel Monsters card-shaped locket. He flicked it open with one hand, studying his sibling's exuberant likeness within. All he wanted was for his younger brother to be happy. Everything he did was to see him smile. And now... Mokuba was miserable, and Seto hated himself for it. He had been away from home most nights this week, just so he could avoid his brother's gaze. But he couldn't forget those downcast eyes; that disappointed look on Mokuba's face that night as Ree was sent away...

Angrily, Seto snapped the locket shut and sat back down at his desk in front of the computer, typing furiously in an effort to clear his mind. He didn't need these... lapses of emotion. He was working, goddamnit! But...

Even if _he _didn't need friends, Mokuba certainly did. Seto knew that he couldn't be with his younger brother all of the time, and he knew how lonely it was without him. Mokuba had somewhat befriended the... infuriating oddball imbeciles that were Yugi and his lot, but he had since forbidden his sibling contact with them- due to the fact that he considered this fraternising with his rival. And Seto did always _hate _associating with his opponents...

Then this girl, Ree. It seemed that somehow Mokuba had taken quite a liking to Seto's project partner. So much so that he managed to convince a full guard to be sent away in order to spend half a day on a wild escapade in her presence, if that night's shenanigans were anything to go by.

And so Seto was angry. Angry that she was there with Mokuba when he couldn't be. A meek thing, it didn't take much to send her running as he vented all of his day's frustration on her. His excuse was that she had exposed his beloved brother to danger, though it evidently wasn't her fault- Mokuba had a charm that was hard to deny, after all. And Ree did manage to protect him from any further harm and brought him home safely that night, so...

Seto supposed she didn't deserve everything he had said to her, and an owed apology was in order. But 'Sorry' was not a word in his vocabulary. Acid retorts and biting sarcasm a part, yes, but not 'Sorry'. This was a word filled with broken pride and the very sign of pure weakness. And _weakness_ was not a part of the Kaiba name.

But, Mokuba. His brother's disheartened expression as he took his new friend away was something that was hard for him to bear, despite the coolness in his actions.

And... Ree. It wasn't like he had anything particular against the girl. Except for the fact that she was one of _them_. Of course. Yugi and his crew were recruiting, it seemed. Still, to be on such good terms with his brother...

Suddenly, Seto stopped typing and cursed at the screen. He had accidentally typed Ree's name into the contract he was writing. Eradicating his mistake, the boy CEO ran his hand through his hair in frustration and sighed. It looked like he wasn't going to be able to work today. Besides, thought Seto, minimising the window onscreen, it was time to check up on his brother, who was most likely keeling over in boredom over there.

As he booted up the interface for the live footage of the mansion cameras, he noted that his brother was nowhere to be seen. Hm, it looks like Mokuba was off playing espionage again, mused Seto to himself. He seemed to be getting better and better at the game each week... Now, let's see...

He switched to manual zoom, focusing the cameras to the places his sibling was most often seen in. Again, nothing. Where was he? Seto began tapping keys, cycling through the camera areas one after the other. Then, just as he was about to move from The Gauntlet, he saw a flash of canary yellow and blue stripes slip stealthily into his private study, before the door was hastily slammed shut. Ah, smirked Seto, knowingly. He wants to use my computer.

_Let's see what he's up to, shall we?_

He sent an automatic override command to his home computer and set up remote access control. The monitor flickered, then replaced the screen with that of his home computer's. It was currently on the login screen.

Seto rested his chin on his knuckles thoughtfully, speculating on whether his younger brother would be able to decipher this week's password. There was a few minutes of nothing, as if there was a struggle of remembrance; the cursor flashing dully in an empty dialogue box- then a familiar set of dots appeared as the password was keyed in; the loading icon emerging as proof of acceptance. As he watched the desktop materialise before him, Seto wondered if perhaps he had made it too easy. Then again, this was _his _brother after all, so it wouldn't be too surprising if he managed to learn quite a few things from the books he had lent him for his studies.

Now, it seemed the Kaiba Corp Global Directory was being run. _Interesting._

Who, or _what _was Mokuba aiming to find? Seto's answer came soon enough, the letters appearing in quick succession in the search bar. Huh. Figures, thought Seto, hmphing pretentiously at the name that had just appeared there. He folded his arms and leant back in his chair. Just what was his younger brother planning?

It would seem that today he was going to have to head home slightly earlier than planned... There was quite an explanation to be had.

* * *

"5:28pm" was what the digital clock blinked back as Ree glanced at the glass face in anxiety. So it was about time. It wasn't the fact that she was personally visiting Mokuba Kaiba that was making her nervous. No, evidently it was the fact that she was going to be somewhat treading on dangerous ground... intruding on enemy territory, no less. But now was not the time to be lingering on these thoughts. After all, she was there to see the young Kaiba, not feud with his brother.

And besides, thought Ree, according to Mokuba, Seto was going to be out, anyway... Still, this didn't stop her from feeling unsettled. But as she heard the sound of a vehicle pulling up outside the door, the girl was forced to disrupt her thinking; hastily shoving her dueling deck into her pocket. As she heard the doorbell ring, Ree quickly scribbled a note to her mother about where she was going to be for the evening, and left it on the dining table- just in case she would be back late. The doorbell rang out again, so Ree called out, "Coming!" and then threw open the door. Forgetting how diminutive her friend was, the girl stared straight out into the street where the limo was parked, expecting at least the midriff of a person before her- before realising to look a little further downward than herself to find Mokuba Kaiba standing there with an amused grin on his face. "Are you ready, Ree?"

Ree smiled at him and replied, "Alright, Mokuba, let's go."

By the time the limo had reached the gates of the Kaiba Mansion, Ree was feeling quite amiable. The journey there had been quite pleasant, with Mokuba playing tourguide again; pointing out the occasional landmark and monuments that Ree normally missed with a couple of jokes or so, in comparison to when she vacantly stared out the window in those eerily silent rides she had with his older brother. Apparently though, they have had quite a past of adventure between them; and Mokuba was telling her all about the various times he and his brother had to take down some evil corporate giant trying to take over the company, often with Mokuba himself as the human bargaining chip. Seeing Ree's absolutely horrified expression at this, Mokuba quickly added, "But Seto's always come through and rescued me, so it's all okay." Ree, however, was pretty convinced that being abducted multiple times and imprisoned against his will was definitely not the definition of 'okay', and possibly was violating all kinds of child abuse bylaws set up by Civil Defence...

But seeing the boy smile and laugh without any obvious sustained emotional trauma made her surmise that he was a lot braver than she had given him credit for, and that most of it was due to the fact he held an enormous amount of faith in his older brother. It made sense, really... they practically supported each other- what was the term? Interdependency. So no wonder Seto was so mad at her that night... he was probably worried to death about his younger brother. Still, it was no reason to go on treating everyone else like the dirt he walked on...

Ree shook herself mentally. Never mind that, Ree... focus! You're here to accompany Mokuba, are you not?

She then turned to the boy, smiling warmly, and joked, "Are you perhaps trying to paint your brother in a better light so that I'd make up with him?"

Mokuba looked rather guilty for some reason. "Ahm... not really," he managed to mumble before changing the subject conveniently with a, "Hey, we're here!" and nimbly jumped out of the limo.

"C'mon, Ree!"

The girl struggled to keep up with his energetic bounding pace. "Ah, s-slow down, Mokuba!" Then she followed the small boy into the mansion, where he was already flagging her to chase him up the stairs. After being led past an endless array of rooms, Mokuba seemed to have brought them to what looked a central living room. This route seemed familiar. If Ree could recall correctly, the next set of corridors was where the Kaiba brother study rooms (and Mokuba's office) were located... _I think_. She _was _hopeless at directions, after all. And visiting the mansion only twice didn't exactly help, either.

"Okay!" announced Mokuba, leaping onto one of the Victorian-styled couches with a big WHUMPH. Ree, still not comfortable surrounded by such luxurious furnishings, decided to humbly sit on the floor.

"So... what's next?" she inquired. Mokuba's eyes were shining with excitement.

"What else, silly? We Duel, of course!

'You aren't going back on your promise now, are you, Ree?" replied the boy with a grin, waggling his finger at her in mock accusation. Ree smiled and laughed.

"Of course not." Then she frowned in puzzlement and asked, "But wouldn't it better if we used the underground dueling arena instead?"

Mokuba looked surprised and slightly confused. "Huh? You... know about that, Ree?"

Oops, thought the girl, looking sheepish and regretting opening her mouth. She had forgotten that she hadn't told Mokuba about the duel with his brother... and it looked like Seto hadn't, either.

But Mokuba didn't pursue the line of questioning any further, having what seemed to be other thoughts on his mind. "Hmm, I didn't really think about that," he said thoughtfully. "But never mind that now, let's just do it this way- Cos I don't think Seto's done with the projector anyway."

The boy bounced off the couch, joining Ree on the floor; sitting directly opposite her. He took his deck from his pocket and shuffled it. Ree followed suit, and then they cut each others decks before setting them facedown in their respective field spaces in front of them. For some reason, Mokuba chose at this point to glance at his watch. "Everything okay, Mokuba?" asked Ree, curious.

The boy looked up, quickly. "Uh-huh, fine. You ready, Ree?" She nodded.

"Alright, then!" he announced, drawing his first hand. "I'll go first." Mokuba made his initial draw for the duel. "Hmm..." pondered the boy. "Let's start with _this_! Go, Griffore!" He set the Monster card on the ground, face-up in attack mode. Then he set down two cards in his Spell/Trap zone.

"Your turn, Ree!"

**Turn 1**

**[Mokuba's Current Hand:(3)] Griffore, Torike, Red Medicine**

**[Field:(3)] Griffore, House of Adhesive Tape, Scapegoat**

**[Graveyard:(0)] N/A**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 8000**

Ree looked at the field in front of her, then at her current hand before making a draw. "Hmm... okay then." She then set one card down in her Spell/Trap zone and summoned a monster. "I'll play Gemini Elf in attack mode," she announced, eyeing what might be Mokuba's Traps on the field. Making a decision to go forward anyway, she added, "...and then I'll attack Griffore."

**Turn 2**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(4)] Call of the Haunted, Stone Statue of the Aztecs, Dunames Dark Witch, Dust Tornado**

**[Field:(2)] Draining Shield, Gemini Elf**

**[Graveyard:(0)] N/A**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 8000**

"Aw, man!" exclaimed the boy, evidently surprised at his opponent's strength.

Seeing her rather disappointed opponent send his card to the Graveyard made Ree feel slightly guilty. Maybe I'll go a little easier on him, she thought to herself as she watched Mokuba count his lifepoints drop. It appeared that unlike his older brother, he was not quite as advanced in the game of Duel Monsters. _Alright, next turn I'll play a little more defensively... _Then Ree ended her turn.

"You're up, Mokuba!"

"Okay!" The boy drew. Good card, he thought. Ree was a lot stronger than he had been expecting... which wasn't quite going to plan if he wanted to stall for time... _But that's okay. I just need to last as many turns as possible before Seto comes home from work. _He glanced at his watch again. 5:45pm. So that meant in about... maybe less than half an hour? Then he looked at the field, then addressed his cards.

_Here's for stalling..._

"First, I'm gonna activate my Scapegoat Spell card," announced Mokuba, placing a circular token each in four of his Monster zones. "Then I'll set this one card." He placed the card he just drew, face-down in his final Monster zone.

"And lastly, I'll play my Red Medicine card to regain my lifepoints." He placed the Spell card on the field for a moment, before sending it to the Graveyard.

"Okay, now I'm done," said the boy, ending his turn.

**Turn 3**

**[Mokuba's Current Hand:(2)] Griffore, Torike**

**[Field:(6)] House of Adhesive Tape, Scapegoat, Des Koala**

**[Graveyard:(2)] Griffore, Red Medicine**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 7800**

Ree made her draw, but made a sharp, quizzical look at her opponent. Mokuba kept looking at his watch and the girl was starting to wonder why. Was he waiting for something? Or maybe he had other plans after her visit? Perhaps being a Kaiba made it a given to have overly-packed schedules, or something. Nevertheless, if the boy didn't tell her, then it was none of her business to ask, anyway.

Okay, thought Ree, bringing herself back to the matter at hand. _Time for the game._

_Mode: Easy._

The Sheep tokens were a relief to see, since it meant that Mokuba had a nice little wall to protect his lifepoints for a while. Plus, there was that face-down card.

Deciding to not summon a monster this turn, she decided to go straight for a frontal assault, hoping for at least a Trap. "Gemini Elf attacks your face-down monster," she announced.

Mokuba flipped the card over, revealing Des Koala and activating its effect. "Ah, I've got you, Ree! Now you take 400 points of damage for every card in your hand!" Ree was holding five... meaning 2000 points just got subtracted from her lifepoints. She smiled at her opponent, and pretended to be in pain, clutching at her chest. "Ouch, Mokuba... indeed you got me good!" she laughed. "How does it feel to be winning?"

The boy grinned back at her. "Oh, but I'm just getting started!" Ree giggled.

"Oh, really?" She set one card in her Spell/Trap zone and ended her turn.

**Turn 4**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(4)] Call of the Haunted, Stone Statue of the Aztecs, Dunames Dark Witch, Final Countdown**

**[Field:(3)] Draining Shield, Gemini Elf, Dust Tornado**

**[Graveyard:(0)] N/A**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 6000**

Mokuba was relieved that Ree hadn't summoned another monster. So far, so good, he thought, drawing a card. "Hmm," he murmured as he glanced at it.

"I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" he proclaimed, activating the Spell. The boy drew his additional cards, set one and then summoned Copycat.

"Try this! Copycat copies the Attack and Defence of your Gemini Elf!"

The monster was now an even match for Ree's creature, and thus also a very good defence to his wall. "I end my turn,"

**Turn 5**

**[Mokuba's Current Hand:(2)] Griffore, Torike**

**[Field:(7)] House of Adhesive Tape, Scapegoat, Adhesion Trap Hole, Copycat**

**[Graveyard:(4)] Griffore, Red Medicine, Des Koala, Pot of Greed**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 7800**

Ree drew. _Okay, now is the time to break up Mokuba's defence shield a bit... _After all, playing Easy still had it's tactics. "I summon Dunames Dark Witch, in Attack mode!" She placed the Fairy monster face-up in her Monster zone, when a cry of "Hold it!" attracted her attention. Mokuba was revealing a Trap on his side.

"You set off my Adhesion Trap Hole, which means that your monster's attack points get halved!" Dunames Dark Witch now had a pitiful attack power of 900 points- a dramatic drop from its original 1800. "Oh no," replied Ree with a small frown. Her monster was now at mercy of Mokuba's Copycat. Still, it had a use for breaking his Scapegoat wall. "Alright. I'll use Dunames Dark Witch and my Gemini Elf to take out two of your Sheep tokens!" Mokuba obediently removed two tokens from his side of the field. "Then I'll activate Dust Tornado to destroy your final Trap," stated Ree. As the boy flipped over his card, Ree made a mental "Ah." when she saw that it was House of Adhesive Tape. No wonder he couldn't activate it, thought Ree, understanding. After all, none of my monsters have had Defense points 500 or less to trigger it. _Oh well, at least I've cleared his field a bit... _She set one card face-down, and ended her turn.

**Turn 6**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(3)] Stone Statue of the Aztecs, Final Countdown, Brain Control**

**[Field:(4)] Draining Shield, Gemini Elf, Dunames Dark Witch, Call of the Haunted**

**[Graveyard:(1)] Dust Tornado**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 6000**

Mokuba drew from his deck and frowned in thought. Time to damage Ree's lifepoints, I think... "I summon another Griffore to the field," the boy announced, playing the card face-up on the field.

"Then I'll use Copycat to attack your weakened Dunames Dark Witch!"

Ree shook her head. "Not so fast, Mokuba," she replied, turning over a Trap. Draining Shield activated, Ree gaining the attack points of the opposing monster and negating its attack. The young Kaiba pressed on. "Okay then, Griffore will now attack. Can you stop that?" Evidently however, Ree had seemed to run out of Traps for the time being, since her Witch was sent to the Graveyard.

"Alright!"

Mokuba just needed to keep at this for a little while longer... He then ended his turn.

**Turn 7**

**[Mokuba's Current Hand:(2)] Torike, Dark Rabbit**

**[Field:(4)] Scapegoat, Copycat, Griffore**

**[Graveyard:(6)] Griffore, Red Medicine, Des Koala, Pot of Greed, Adhesion Trap Hole, House of Adhesive Tape**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 7800**

Ree made her draw, then looked at the field. Alright, she thought. It's time to even the odds a bit. First she played the Spell card, Dian Keto the Cure Master, and restored 1000 of her lifepoints. Then she called,

"I activate Call of the Haunted to bring back my Dunames Dark Witch!"

She revealed the card and replaced her monster back onto the dueling field.

"Now, my Gemini Elf will attack your Griffore!" Mokuba lost lifepoints, and his monster was destroyed. "...Sorry, Mokuba," added Ree apologetically as she ended her turn, feeling guilty again. It was a lot harder to hold back than she had thought...

**Turn 8**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(3)] Stone Statue of the Aztecs, Final Countdown, Brain Control**

**[Field:(3)] Gemini Elf, Dunames Dark Witch, Call of the Haunted**

**[Graveyard:(3)] Dust Tornado, Draining Shield, Dian Keto the Cure Master**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 8600**

Okay Mokuba, thought the boy to himself, You can do this. Buying time, buying time... He drew his card, then glanced at his hand. _This should slow her down._

"I'll set one card face-down. Then, Copycat will attack your Dark Witch!" Her monster was still in attack mode from her turn, meaning that she lost both her monster as well as lifepoints. Ree frowned slightly, but sent her monster to the Graveyard again, as well as the Trap equipped to it.

"That's it for now."

**Turn 9**

**[Mokuba's Current Hand:(2)] Torike, Dark Rabbit**

**[Field:(4)] Scapegoat, Copycat, Penguin Soldier**

**[Graveyard:(7)] Griffore, Red Medicine, Des Koala, Pot of Greed, Adhesion Trap Hole, House of Adhesive Tape, Griffore**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 7100**

Ree counted the number of turns in her head. Nine turns was enough to give Mokuba a head start, right? It was probably time to play a little more seriously. But the girl's innate niceness overwhelmed her again, and she decided to give him one more turn. _Ten is a nicer number, anyway. _Ree drew. Time to set up my defence, she thought, and set a monster. "Um, okay," announced Ree. "Gemini Elf will attack your face-down card." Mokuba flipped his monster to reveal, to Ree's horror, that it was Penguin Soldier. His monster was destroyed, but not without activating its effect, sending her only two monsters back to her hand.

"Too bad, Ree," stated Mokuba cheerfully as Ree picked up her cards. Now she had nothing defending her lifepoints. _Well, a head start is a head start..._

"Alright then, I'll just place this card face-down and end my turn."

**Turn 10**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(4)] Stone Statue of the Aztecs, Final Countdown, Charcoal Inpachi, Gemini Elf**

**[Field:(1)] Brain Control**

**[Graveyard:(5)] Dust Tornado, Draining Shield, Dian Keto the Cure Master, Call of the Haunted, Dunames Dark Witch**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 8500**

Mokuba drew, and when he glanced at his card, he grinned. Was he the stall-master, or what? "I tribute Copycat to summon... Judge Man!" He placed the card down with an enthusiastic thud. He looked at the field to see that Ree had no monsters left to defend her, meaning... "Direct Attack!" he yelled. This _definitely_ will buy me some time, thought the boy to himself, watching as his older brother walked by the corridor door behind Ree with a slightly bemused look on his face.

Seto. Seto- Seto? _What was he doing being back home so early? _This was not going according to plan, thought Mokuba, panicking. _Improvise, I need to improvise!_

"Hey, Ree," he said loudly to the girl, "Do you want a drink?"

Ree was surprised at the sudden offer, and began, "Ah, that's oka-"

"Kay!" replied Mokuba, without listening to her answer and scrambling up to get to his brother. He tore after him in the corridor, leaving a bewildered Ree to stare after him. Mokuba caught up to his elder sibling and then tugged at his coat back in the direction of the duel.

"Mokuba-" began Seto Kaiba in an aggravated tone, but his brother cut across him.

"...and Seto will finish my turn for me. He'll be covering for me while I'm gone, okay?" announced Mokuba, practically shouting. He had brought Seto back to the doorway of the living room, where his brother's expression was not very amused and full of questions. Time for me to disappear and hope this works... thought the young boy.

_Sorry, Big Bro, but I can't tell you what I'm doing..._

"Alright, seeya!" said Mokuba quickly, as he skipped off down the corridor before he was asked any questions.

The eldest Kaiba watched his brother leave- his dark hair like a storm as he bounded round a corner and disappeared down the staircase, out of sight, before finally turning back to the room before him with a disapproving glare. Seto's icy gaze met the eyes of Ree, who was staring at him in the utmost confusion; as if she had not expected him to be there... in his own home, no less! The nerve.

There was a lengthy pause as they stared each other down, neither of them budging an inch. Finally, after what seemed forever, Seto folded his arms and hmphed, before walking into the room. It looked like he had decided to play his brother's game, for the time being. As he sat down to replace Mokuba's position in the duel, Seto noticed that Ree had now focused all of her attention back onto the cards in her hand. So she was still ignoring him. How nice. Seto picked up Mokuba's hand and studied them, before glancing at the field. Odd, he thought, taking a look at Ree's side of the field. She was wide open for attack... quite a contrast to the defensive manoeuvres she was pulling in _their _duel... Hm. Seto was dubious. Mokuba had two sheep tokens on the field, which meant Ree had destroyed two of them. But judging on the number of cards in the graveyard to calculate how many turns had passed- that meant Ree had only summoned two monsters throughout the entire duel so far. Yet, he doubted that they were the only ones she had, seeing the number of cards still in her hand. Seto glanced at the lifepoints of each player, and raised an eyebrow. Ree was at 6300, Mokuba at 7100. That meant one thing. Ree was... purposely losing the duel? Seto chortled, mentally. Of course she was. This was exactly the kind of thing he'd expect her to do... being nice to his younger brother. But that wasn't important right now. The heart of the matter was why Mokuba had dragged him into this in the first place. So his brother had called Ree. Now Ree was here. Evidently, Seto himself was crucial to the plan, so now _he _was here. But why? They had nothing to discuss. Clearly, their partnership was over, if Ree's blatant stare at her cards were anything to judge. Mokuba knew nothing of their relationship at school, so he couldn't possibly be trying to insinuate anything there. So _what?_ In fact, the only reason she became known to her brother before he decided to befriend her was...

Wait.

Suddenly, Seto had the realisation dawn on him that this was all related to the events of _that_ night. That _fight._ Surprisingly, Mokuba hadn't let it go already. In fact, he seemed to be trying to do something about it to fix it, by setting up this... _coincidental meeting. _Seto almost grinned. Since when did his little brother learn to scheme?

Then the blue-eyed youth surveyed Ree closely. It would appear that the petite, soft-spoken girl had made quite the impression on his brother, whether he approved of it or not. Quite frankly, he couldn't see what was special about her, being so... ordinary. Yes. Ordinary was a good word. She was quite... normal and sane for one in the Geek Squad... which somehow also made her have no presence.

Seto now noticed that Ree had finally turned her gaze from her cards to the dueling field and was staring very intently at his side of the field for some reason. After she continued to do this for some time, Seto remembered that he was supposed to be filling in for Mokuba. It was his turn still, he recalled. Ree still hadn't said anything to him the whole time. Fine then. Two can play at that game, thought Seto, as he silently ended his turn.

**Turn 11**

**[Seto's Current Hand:(2)] Torike, Dark Rabbit**

**[Field:(3)] Scapegoat, Judge Man**

**[Graveyard:(9)] Griffore, Red Medicine, Des Koala, Pot of Greed, Adhesion Trap Hole, House of Adhesive Tape, Griffore, Copycat, Penguin Soldier**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 7100**

Ree wasn't quite sure what was happening. Somehow, she had ended up having to duel Seto Kaiba... again- while Mokuba went to get drinks that she didn't really ask for. Didn't he say that his brother would be out for a while? Well, thought Ree grimly, I guess 'a while' is up... She drew a card, and stared down at the field. Since he had walked into the room Seto hadn't said a word to her at all, and so she had been consistently ignoring him and avoiding his eye as proof of her continuing defiance. It was childish, yes, but if he wasn't going to back down from feuding with her, then she'd rather die than give into him from feuding either. She glanced at her hand. Just what she needed. Ree flipped over her set card, activating the Spell 'Brain Control', and repossessed her opponent's Judge Man. She then sacrificed it to summon her Dark Driceratops. Forgetting that her opponent was still, technically, Mokuba, she ordered her Driceratops to attack one of his remaining Sheep tokens, destroying a rather large chunk of his lifepoints in the process.

When she realised, Ree almost gasped in horror. What was she doing? It wasn't like her to be clouded by anger. And yet, just by Seto being there, she was being reminded again of their fight... Ree began blinking back the salt that was threatening to blur her eyes. No, she had to be strong in front of adversity. I am here for Mokuba's sake, thought the girl furiously, ending her turn. _And as his friend, I won't even let his brother ruin it for him..._

**Turn 12**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(4)] Stone Statue of the Aztecs, Final Countdown, Charcoal Inpachi, Gemini Elf**

**[Field:(1)] Dark Driceratops**

**[Graveyard:(6)] Dust Tornado, Draining Shield, Dian Keto the Cure Master, Call of the Haunted, Dunames Dark Witch, Brain Control**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 5500**

Seto was surprised. What happened to holding back? She did know she was still facing Mokuba, right? The boy CEO frowned. It appeared that Ree was wasting no time in letting him know that his words in their argument would not go unpunished. Seto narrowed his eyes. It seemed that he had underestimated her again... he had expected her to continue to play defensively, like in their last duel. So the quiet girl _did_ have spirit after all. Interesting.

Ree was staring intently at the ground again, waiting for him to finish his turn. So she was serious about not forgiving him, was she? Fine by him. He needed no forgiveness. He took his draw phase, but Seto wasn't really concentrating on the duel anymore. He was busy studying the determined face of his opponent as she gazed down at something very interesting in the carpet. Ree looked up slightly, catching the eye of Seto as he watched her, then quickly looked down again, her expression more resolute than ever. Hmph. How cute. Then the locket that pressed cold against his chest reminded him again of what he was here for. Mokuba. So _this_ was the friend he wanted to keep? Seto assessed this for a moment. His brother had even tried to _defend _her that night. Mokuba rarely resisted his judgement... what was it that he liked about her so much? Or was it simply a matter of the human need to socialise? Friendship. Seto had no such need for these trivial things. The boy refolded his arms, his cards brushing against his sleeve. Reminded that he was still in the middle of a duel, and still distracted by his thoughts, he simply set a card and ended his turn.

**Turn 13**

**[Seto's Current Hand:(2)] Torike, Back to Square One**

**[Field:(2)] Scapegoat, Dark Rabbit**

**[Graveyard:(10)] Griffore, Red Medicine, Des Koala, Pot of Greed, Adhesion Trap Hole, House of Adhesive Tape, Griffore, Copycat, Penguin Soldier, Judge Man**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 4700**

After making her draw, Ree frowned in confusion. Seto had only set a card in defence for his whole turn. This was an odd move, considering that this was useless with her Dark Driceratops on the field being able to pierce lifepoints regardless of the opposing monster's position. And Seto knew this. Probably. Seeing she had played it in their last duel, she was sure he was bound to figure out the effect of her monster, even though she hadn't had a chance to use it. So why did he...?

It wasn't like him to play without tactics all of a sudden. Maybe he was baiting her? Another Penguin Soldier, perhaps. The girl wanted to look up, but she had the unnerving feeling that her opponent's steely glare was still focused on her. _He was playing mind games again. _To be safe, Ree set a monster and a Trap. Even if she _was _playing against Mokuba, she was against Seto now, the girl decided. And she wasn't taking any chances.

**Turn 14**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(3)] Stone Statue of the Aztecs, Final Countdown, Gemini Elf,**

**[Field:(3)] Dark Driceratops, Charcoal Inpachi, Trap Hole**

**[Graveyard:(6)] Dust Tornado, Draining Shield, Dian Keto the Cure Master, Call of the Haunted, Dunames Dark Witch, Brain Control**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 5500**

That Tea Gardner was always babbling on about it. _Friends give you the strength to carry on, Friends will always support you..._ something like that. Seto recalled the time when he forced his way into Duelist Kingdom in order to rescue Mokuba, ruthlessly crushing Yugi on his way. Her azure eyes glistening with both tears and anger, with a broken Yugi on his knees behind her, Tea had furiously asked him, "And what do _you _have, Seto Kaiba? What do you have at the end of the day?"

He had simply replied with, "I have all that I need," and walked away.

_I have all that I need._ It was true. He _did _have everything he needed. Riches, Power- he could do whatever he desired, exactly the way he wanted to do it, and noone would, or could, stop him.

...But Mokuba couldn't.

Now that he thought on this, Seto realised that he had been placing many restrictions on his beloved younger brother. He had to have a communicator on him at all times. He was never allowed to leave the mansion without taking a guard, and he couldn't stay out for more than three hours without at least reporting to his older brother. Talking with strangers was strictly prohibited, and being associated with them even more so. Even small errands like grocery shopping required a minor platoon of suits to accompany him.

But these measures were a simple requirement for Mokuba's safety, argued Seto to himself. He was only trying to protect him, like the good older brother he was.

Surely he couldn't be wrong? But Seto realised now that perhaps he had been doing too good of a job. He hadn't been protecting Mokuba from the world- he was isolating him from it. His brother was very much still naive to the outside world and its dangers.

Absentminded, Seto Kaiba was dimly aware that it was his turn. He drew.

Perhaps Mokuba did need a companion after all. Someone to look after him when his older sibling was too busy to. In his mind eye, Seto suddenly pictured Yugi and his gang. Ugh. Not them, he thought, scowling. He had already banned Mokuba from associating with them. But... he did admit that they all looked... happy together. Seto frowned deeper, as he continued to think. Would Mokuba be happier if he had a friend? He glanced at the dueling field. Ah, that's right. Duel, thought the boy, and dismissively set a card and ended his turn.

**Turn 15**

**[Seto's Current Hand:(2)] Back to Square One, Garoozis**

**[Field:(3)] Scapegoat, Dark Rabbit, Torike**

**[Graveyard:(10)] Griffore, Red Medicine, Des Koala, Pot of Greed, Adhesion Trap Hole, House of Adhesive Tape, Griffore, Copycat, Penguin Soldier, Judge Man**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 4700**

Ree blinked. Did she see correctly? Seto Kaiba had defended... again. It was almost like he wasn't even trying to win the duel. Curious, and yet bothered at the same time, Ree cautiously took a peek at the face of her opponent. He wasn't even looking at her at all! Or rather, he was looking... _through her_. His blue eyes seemed distant. He seemed... distracted even. It appeared that the teenage CEO had quite a lot on his mind. _Should I say something?_

Ree was tempted to ask if something was the matter, but then it'd seem like she had forgiven him- and she was far from it. Still, she was a little worried. Sure, Seto was a jerk, but he still had problems like regular humans. Right?

Hoping that he'd snap out of it soon, she summoned a monster, but decided not to attack. Ree ended her turn, and left the boy to his thoughts.

**Turn 16**

**[Ree's Current Hand:(3)] Stone Statue of the Aztecs, Final Countdown, Enchanted Javelin**

**[Field:(4)] Dark Driceratops, Charcoal Inpachi, Trap Hole, Gemini Elf**

**[Graveyard:(6)] Dust Tornado, Draining Shield, Dian Keto the Cure Master, Call of the Haunted, Dunames Dark Witch, Brain Control**

**[Current Lifepoints:] 5500**

Seto didn't need happiness. If Mokuba was happy, then that was all that mattered. So was it right of him to deny his brother's happiness? Seto frowned again. Mokuba had been all smiles and laughs when he was dueling Ree before. Seto hadn't actually heard his brother laugh in a long time... Perhaps he needed to rethink the restrictions he was placing on him. One... _friend_... was enough, wasn't it?

Ree. Mokuba liked her. And she was... tolerable, I guess, thought Seto. Not loud. Not obnoxious. Had some sense, at least. Even if she did consort with Yugi and company. Plus, she didn't get in his way. Which reminded him... Mokuba had tried telling him the other day how she had rescued and protected him that night. Something about pretending an organiser was a wallet, and luring the attacker away... or something like that. Which meant... Seto owed her for saving his brother's life. The eldest Kaiba brother scowled. He hated owing debts. But Ree had stated firmly that night that she didn't expect, and would not take compensation for it. Gold was simply out of the question. So what did she want? What would it take to settle this... _liability_? An apology?

To be fair he owed her one; since he had purposely riled her up in order to get rid of her- and especially now if he wanted her to continue being friends with Mokuba. How ironic.

It wouldn't make them completely even... but it would have to do for now.

The question was, how to do it? Seto Kaiba just didn't do 'Sorry.' He didn't do 'Forgive me' or 'I apologise' either, which was giving him a lack of options. He had pride, for one thing... he was the proud CEO of Kaiba Corp and Duel Monsters extraordinaire, for Heaven's sake! And reputation meant that he wasn't exactly the type to drop down on his knees and grovel.

No... but he had to do it. Somehow. So that Mokuba could be happy...

Ree sighed inwardly. She had given up on avoiding her opponent's gaze. In fact, she was pretty sure he wasn't really present at all in this duel, having seemed to forget, yet again, that it was his turn. What was it that was taking up all of his thoughts? Seto seemed to be frowning and scowling a lot, so whatever it was, he seemed quite displeased, or perplexed about it.

Perhaps he needed a gentle reminder that they were still in the middle of a duel? Ree watched her opponent's expression change from anger, to confusion, to something like he was in pain. Or maybe not, thought Ree to herself. It seemed like Seto was going through a lot of things in that head of his...

The girl frowned in anxiousness. Maybe... she had been too harsh to him. After all, he was probably extremely busy with his company... With a lot of pressure on his shoulders, it probably was to be expected that he snapped at her that night. Maybe _she _was the one who needed to apologise. To set things right.

Ree glanced at Seto, unsure of when to break his thoughts. She took a quick look around, uncomfortable in her position.

_Where was Mokuba with those drinks?_

Turning back to Seto, Ree was suddenly aware that her eyes were meeting with cold blue steel. It seemed that the eldest Kaiba brother had finally finished his contemplating and was now giving her full blast of his glare. The girl suddenly lost her words and froze, like a deer in headlights. Seto himself was as still as a statue, and the duo spent the next few minutes staring at each other in a heavily tense silence. After a while, Ree regained control of herself and remembered that she was trying to make amends. She took an inward breath... and opened her mouth to start with, "Um-"

"Ree."

The girl almost jumped out of her skin. She hadn't even seen his lips move, and she was certainly not expecting him to say anything.

"Y-Yes-?" Awkward silence. Seto was glaring at her like he had something to say, but couldn't say it. Figuring now was her chance, Ree tried again.

"Um, Seto..." she began.

"What," replied the boy, intensifying his ice beam.

"I-I... it's your turn." _That's not what I wanted to say! _Ree smacked herself mentally.

"What?" responded Seto, looking genuinely miffed. He glanced down at the dueling field before him, as if he only just noticed it was there. He looked back up and continued to glare at Ree. "Look," started the boy looking furious; leaning slightly forward with his glare turned up to maximum. He slammed his palm on the ground, and the movement bumped Mokuba's deck- causing it to lurch ahead and shift inbalanced, cards spilling across the carpet and onto the field.

**Turn ?**

**[Seto's Current Hand:(?)] fielderrorx98?-**

**[Field:(%error)] ?-**

This day was getting more and more surprising. Seto Kaiba had decided to miss out on the chance of crushing an opponent in a duel. This looked serious, thought Ree. (Though, he had also quite conveniently missed out on a loss, seeing that Ree was in the lead and playing against Mokuba.)

"Look," began Seto again. His face looked quite livid for some reason. It was... quite scary, actually. Threatening, even. Ree tried not to tremble, and decided that now was time to say it... before he exploded or something-

"I apologise."

The words had not come from her mouth, but from the rather incensed-looking demon sitting across from her. Ree was rendered speechless. It was a rather angry and reluctant-sounding murmur, but Seto Kaiba had definitely apologised. "I... beg your pardon?" asked the girl nervously, just to make sure.

Seto certainly looked ticked off. "That night..." he growled, almost as if it was killing him to get the words out, "...it is possible that I said some things that were..." He paused to find the right term. Ree was perfectly happy to oblige him with words in her head. _Stupid? Unjust? Hurtful?_

"...incorrect," decided Seto. Then there was another awkward silence. It appeared that this was as good an apology Ree was going to get. He's not very good at this, thought the girl to herself. Especially since the apology, and everything that was coming out of his mouth at the moment, was being accompanied by a murderously chilly glare. But still. Seto Kaiba had _apologised_... and the world didn't look like it was ending...

Seto seemed to take her silence as a cue to continue speaking, adding quickly, "...Thank you for looking after Mokuba." It looked like he wanted to pass over the apology as soon as possible.

"Um, you're welcome. I-I guess..." replied Ree, uncomfortably trying to avert his gaze and still reeling from the fact that he had _apologised_. More awkward silence.

Then all of a sudden, Seto looked away. When he turned back, he had refolded his arms in a pompous manner. It seemed like he was back to his superior self.

"Mokuba told me about the way you rescued him that night. You lured the assailent away using his own greed. Very clever." Ree blinked. A genuine compliment from Seto Kaiba. Was that even possible?

"Erm, thank you..." responded the girl, feeling like she was still dreaming.

_Nope. Still reality, judging from his killer icy stare._

"You will be compensated accordingly, of course." This again.

"I told you, Seto-" began Ree, who was cut short by Seto stating, "-No gold. Fine. Then what do _you _propose I give you?"

"Nothing," she replied. "A simple thank you and a smile is thanks enough."

Seto raised an eyebrow at this. "A smile doesn't pay bills," he responded. Ree was almost relieved at the tone of arrogance in his voice. At least it matched his glare...

"A smile is something _you_ need to work on," stated Ree. "And I think Mokuba would appreciate it too."

Seto stared at her for moment, his icy blue eyes studying her face.

"You... seem to do a... decent job with my brother."

Ree was taken aback. She smiled a small smile. "Two compliments in one day? The Great Seto Kaiba must be getting soft..." she replied in jest.

For this, the girl received a nice, cold glare. "Hmph," scowled Seto. "Don't get used to it."

"...R-Right." It wasn't like she was going to have the chance of encountering a Seto Kaiba this amiable ever again, anyway.

Suddenly the teenage CEO stood up. "Mokuba wishes to see you more often. He could use a... friend," stated Seto matter-of-factly as he began walking out the door.

"And... you're okay with it?" inquired Ree, standing up in an effort to not be intimidated by the boy's height.

Seto stopped. "You're... _tolerable_," he replied. Fair enough. Well, that was better than having him hate her, anyway.

Ree suddenly had a thought. "...So... are we back on?"

Seto turned, frowning. "Back on what, exactly?"

_Back on being civil. Back on being acquaintences. And also... _"Back on the project," replied Ree.

His eyes flashed in surprise, as if the thought had only occurred to him.

"...I suppose," said Seto, the steel coming back to him.

"Well then, um..." stated Ree slowly. She was still finding it hard to believe that she was going to come out of this completely unscathed. "...See you tomorrow."

Seto made the slightest motion that was as close to a mere nod as possible.

"Hmph." was all that he said, and with that, he walked out the door.

A small grin streaked over Mokuba's face as he listened to the wall in the adjacent room. "Checkmate," he whispered, his dark eyes twinkling. It wasn't exactly to plan, but it had seemed to work out in the end anyway.

The mission was a success.

* * *

Several hundred kilometres away, a plane had just grounded and parked in a reserved private hangar in the Domino City Airport. As the staircase unfolded towards the ground, the first passenger to descend was a tall woman in ivory dress. She had long, raven black hair and wore a circlet of gold; a jade scarab adorning her forehead. As the Egyptian Embassy scurried forward to greet her, Ishizu Ishtar touched the strange necklace decorating her collarbone, as if to ward off evil. The Millenium Necklace glowed, the eye centreing it flashing just for a second.

"Ms. Ishtar, on behalf of the Domino Museum, we bid you welcome," stated the Ambassador warmly, shaking her hand. Ishizu smiled.

"Thank you, Ambassador. But please, let's get down to business..."


End file.
